All Is Forgotten, All Is Forgiven
by kathleenrose747
Summary: Michiko is an international law student spreading her wings in Japan. But will those wings be clipped when she becomes involved in a Death Note case with L? AU, OC/L
1. Introductions

**Title**: All is Forgotten, All is Forgiven

**Author**: kathleenrose747

**Pairing**: L (Lawliet, Ryuzaki, Eraldo Coil, Denueve, Hideki Ryuga)/OC

**Rating: **T-M

**Disclaimer**: I have not, nor will I ever own anything relating to the idea, copyright, persons/characters and creation of Death Note. The only thing I own is Michiko Nakashima, a character of my own creation.

**Authors Note**: I do use some of L's other aliases in the story. If you get confused, go to the Death Note Wiki or just look up L on Wikipedia to get a background on his aliases. I won't go into too much background with those names and their uses. Also, L is 29 years old in this story. So yes, we can consider it AU. Please review with constructive criticism. I would also like unadulterated praise, if it is available. :)

**Chapter 1**

"Hey! Michi! Over here, space cadet!"

Michiko turned her head towards the sound of her nickname. Her friend Ty Sato and his girlfriend Ana Kim had finally pulled up to the curb of Hokkaido Airport. After waiting at the curb for over three hours, Michi was finally ready to get going. She closed her Nook and began to push her luggage cart towards the minivan. She began thanking the gods for the fact that she had friends who were in 'successful' bands. At least they made enough money from their gigs to put towards the upkeep of their 1999 Suzuki Every. The minivan had certainly seen better days, but at least there was enough room for Michi's minimal luggage. Before they even had a chance to park, Ty hopped out of the passengers side window and barreled towards Michi for a bear hug.

"How are you, stranger?! You've gotten so big!" Ty joked as he picked up Michi's five foot five inch frame. Michi laughed as she hugged Ty back. She was so proud to call this former linebacker teddy bear her brother, even if they were not related by blood. As Ty set Michi back on dry land, she ran to hug Ana. As Ana and Michi giggled and hugged, Ty threw the bags into the van, giving the girls time to catch up.

Michi had met Ty and Ana back in high school, when they had come over from Japan as exchange students. Ana had lived at Michi's house for that time, making her Michi's adopted sister (in Michi's parents eyes). Over the years that the friends were in college, they kept in touch via video chat and constant emails. It was through one of those video chats that Michi had convinced Ty to ask Ana out for a movie. The rest was 'history', if you call a one-year dating period history. The two had already moved into a quaint (i.e., small) apartment in Meguro area of Tokyo. Michi would be crashing on their fold out couch until she could get on her feet with her new job.

Michi crawled into the backseat and buckled in as Ty jumped back into the passengers seat via the window. Ty explained that the bolts on the door were loose and he did not want to risk having the door fall off whenever he opened it. Michi didn't believe it for a moment. She knew how lazy Ty was. Ana hopped into the drivers seat and put the car in idle as they waited for a break in the traffic.

"So Michi? Tell us all about this job of yours." Ana turned around in her seat to look at her friend.

"There isn't much to tell. I will just be working as a translator for the National Police Agency in Tokyo. It's nothing much, really."

"Oh no. It's a big thing." Ana pushed a stray hair out of her eyes before she continued, "Most English speaking tourists only know very basic Japanese and they freak out if they get arrested. Having someone there who can speak unaccented English will be a great comfort to them and will help get their point across clearer." Ty nodded enthusiastically.

"Also the fact you speak French, Italian, Spanish, Farsi and Russian will be of huge help to the police. If they ever need it." Ty winked at Michi as she squirmed in her seat.

"It's not my fault I pick up languages so well."

"Uh huh." Ana adjusted the rearview mirror to look at Michi. "It also isn't your fault you chose to get a bachelors degree in international relations and a masters in international law, is it?" Michi glanced at her friend.

"It is also not my fault I am an overachiever. I just wanted to get out of school and into the real world." Hence why Michi had sacrificed a social life in order to get all of her necessary schooling finished in six years. Not to say she wasn't proud of herself, but she sometimes wished she had more close friends than just Ty and Ana.

Ty chose that moment to point through the back window. "Looks like we have a break coming up, Ana. Better get ready to gun it."

Ana began to rev the engine. As the break in traffic came up alongside the van, Ana began to turn into the flow of traffic. Suddenly, Ana slammed on the breaks as the taxi in front of the van shot into their break. Ty leaned over and honked the horn, yelling some choice obscenities in the process. Michi shook her head. He watched too much Cops.

When the group finally pulled away from the curb, Ana and Ty relaxed against their seats and pulled up some Simon and Garfunkel for Michi to listen to. The minivan eventually pulled up alongside the offending taxi a couple miles down the road. As Ty tried to get into a yelling match with the cab driver, Michi looked over at the passenger in the back seat and tried to mouth an apology in Japanese. She stopped mid statement as black, sleep deprived eyes turned to look at her. The man had black shaggy hair and wore a white long sleeved shirt. He tilted his head at Michi and stuck the end of his thumb in his mouth as he continued to stare at her. Michi promptly looked away, feeling nervous under the man's probing stare. Still feeling his gaze on her, she turned back to see him waving at her. He had a smile on his face as he attempted to look friendly. The smile looked quite forced, but Michi could not help but smile back and wave.

As Ana pulled away from the light and Ty pulled himself back into the warmth of the car, Michi could not help but continue to feel the man's stare on her back. She felt like she was not only being watched, but tracked. She sighed deeply. '_Not even a whole day has gone by in Japan and I'm paranoid. Way to go Michiko.'_

-End Ch. 1-


	2. New Beginnings

**Title**: All is Forgotten, All is Forgiven

**Author**: kathleenrose747

**Pairing**: L (Lawliet, Ryuzaki, Eraldo Coil, Denueve, Hideki Ryuga)/OC

**Rating: **T-M

**Disclaimer**: I have not, nor will I ever own anything relating to the idea, copyright, persons/characters and creation of Death Note. I also don't own any of the sweets mentioned in here. The only thing I own is Michiko Nakashima, a character of my own creation.

**Authors Note**: I do use some of L's other aliases in the story. If you get confused, go to the Death Note Wiki or just look up L on Wikipedia to get a background on his aliases. I won't go into too much background with those names and their uses. Also, L is 29 years old in this story. So yes, we can consider it AU. Please review with constructive criticism. I would also like unadulterated praise, if it is available. :)

**Chapter Notes: **I didn't want to write a bunch of little drabbles and post them separately. Instead, I coalesced them all into one, broken up chapter. Hope it makes sense. Enjoy!

**Chapter 2: New Beginnings**

Michi couldn't help but stare in awe at her surroundings. She had grown up in Small Town USA, so giant buildings were a new thing for her. Oh sure, she had done some work for the Chicago police force while she worked on her masters degree. However, all of that work was freelance and she had never stepped inside the police station for anything other than her interview. She had had the dubious luck of having the police force at her house a few times as a rendezvous point before they raided one of her drugged up neighbors. Other than that, all she did was consultation work via video chat. Ty noticed Michi staring and grinned at his friend.

"Must be a little overwhelming for you, Mich. Do you want to stop and get some snacks so you can practice some of your Japanese?" Ty knew his friend would be unable to sit still until she could do some work with her hard earned language skills.

"Yes, please. Could we grab a couple Hi-chews as well? I ran out of mine on the flight."

"Nerves?" Ana asked calmly as she parallel parked in front of a twenty four hour convenience store. Ana had a bachelor's degree in psychology and stress management, so she would certainly be the person to talk to about these things.

"I was only stressed during the takeoff and landing. I always have the unfortunate luck of sitting next to the wings, so I have learned to hate the loud noises associated with flight." Michi waited for Ty to open her door, seeing as there was no internal handle with which to open it. After Ana checked to make sure the doors were locked, the trio walked into the two-story convenience store, Ty immediately steered Michi in the direction of the candy. He knew all too well that when Michi was stressed or working on a difficult problem, she had to have some sweets. She claimed it stimulated her brain, but Ty had a feeling it really stemmed back to her military family upbringing. His train of thought was broken as Michi softly squealed in delight.

"They have raspberry cheesecake flavored Hi-Chews? Japan rocks!" Michi walked back to the front of the store to grab a basket and proceeded to fill it up with all the sweets that could fit. Ana calmly walked up next to Ty with another basket.

"What's that for?" Ty asked.

"This is for our food. Also, it's the last basket, so I don't want her to get any bright idea of buying too many sweets." Just as that utterance slipped from Ana's mouth, they overheard Michi talking to the store manager, asking if there were any more vanilla flavored Koalas March left. He kept reassuring her that she had taken the last ten boxes they had in the store. Ana shook her head as she walked towards the vegetables to get ingredients for her stir-fry. Someone had to make sure Michi ate something other than Pocky and Kit Kats while she was in Japan.

**A While Later**

The taxi quietly rolled up to the convenience store. As the passenger in the backseat rolled down his window, his mind was very clearly elsewhere. A manila folder sat next to him, filled to the brim with unexplained deaths. He was also still reeling from his social interaction with the girl in the van. No one had ever truly smiled at him, let alone mimicked his feeble attempts at being social. Then again, she didn't know what and who he was. Not that he would ever see her again. He climbed out of the car and told the driver to drive around the block once. He would be out in a moment.

Once the car was out of sight, he walked inside. He was just going to grab a couple sweets so he could nibble on them as he read the file.

That was, provided there were any sweets left. The man stared in horror at the ransacked candy aisle. What kind of monstrous fiend would do such a thing? Shrugging at his loss, he picked up a few boxes of Pocky, a stray container of chocolate Koalas March, a couple Anpans and grabbed a handful of Kit Kats from a bin. As he paid for his meager purchase, the store manager kept apologizing for the lack of sweets. He said that a young girl from the States had taken as much candy as she could (for her work, he claimed) and had just paid for it and left a little while ago. '_For work, huh?' _The man turned and looked at the candy aisle with a new sense of admiration. _'Looks like great minds think alike.'_

**Elsewhere**

"Wow! This is a beautiful area!" Michi looked around at the trees lining the street. Her friends had claimed this was a very cheap apartment, but the surroundings did not belay that fact. As Ana punched in the code to the apartment complex, Michi playfully punched Ty in the shoulder for every button Ana pressed. Unfortunately for Ty, Ana 'forgot' the code three times before successfully getting them through the gate. Twenty punches in all. Ana pulled into the garage below the apartment and popped the trunk. Ty swiftly got out of the car and grabbed Michi's bags before she could protest.

After walking up the stairs, Michi took off her shoes just inside the door and slipped into a pair of house slippers, lovingly labeled 'Michi's slippers. Do Not Touch these shoes, Ty!' Michi giggled as she proceeded to carry the bags of groceries to the kitchen that was just to the right of the entryway. As she and Ana prepared the stir-fry, Ty put Michi's bags in the living area closet and unfolded her bed. They were all planning to go to bed right after dinner. There was a separate room to the right of the living area, which was designated as Ty and Ana's room. Thankfully, there was a guest bathroom in the hallway leading to the kitchen, so Michi would only need to steal Ty and Michi's bathroom for a shower.

The trio had a lovely night eating stir-fry, watching recordings of Cops and playing a few rounds of dai hin min (very poor man). Around 23:00, the trio broke off to their respected sleeping areas. Michi brushed her teeth and picked out a nightgown to sleep in. She had to get a good nights rest before her first day at work tomorrow. As she changed, she felt hairs go up on the back of her neck. She turned around and realized she had left the curtains open to the balcony area. She closed them shut, taking the time to note the other apartments across from her window. All of the windows were dark, so she shook off her uneasiness. As she slipped under the sheets, she couldn't help but feel scared. This was the first time in a long time she had slept alone in a room. Normally, she had a roommate or her dog Beegee sleeping near her. Michi was quickly reminded she was not alone however, as telling noises slipped out from beneath Ty and Ana's room. Michi rolled her eyes and grabbed her iPod. It was going to be a long night.

**-End of Chapter 2-**


	3. Observations

**Note: **I thought I would not have this done until tomorrow. But it seems the writing muse favors me tonight. Enjoy an early present, my friends. And keep those reviews coming. :)

**Title**: All is Forgotten, All is Forgiven

**Author**: kathleenrose747

**Pairing**: L (Lawliet, Ryuzaki, Eraldo Coil, Denueve, Hideki Ryuga)/OC

**Rating: **T-M

**Disclaimer**: I have not, nor will I ever own anything relating to the idea, copyright, persons/characters and creation of Death Note. I also don't own any of the sweets mentioned in here. The only thing I own is Michiko Nakashima, a character of my own creation.

**Authors Note**: I do use some of L's other aliases in the story. If you get confused, go to the Death Note Wiki or just look up L on Wikipedia to get a background on his aliases. I won't go into too much background with those names and their uses. Also, L is 29 years old in this story. So yes, we can consider it AU. Please review with constructive criticism. I would also like unadulterated praise, if it is available. :)

**Chapter 3: Observations**

As Michi awoke, she took immediate note of her surroundings. Where was she? She was in her friend's apartment in Meguro, Japan. Was she in any immediate danger? No, she could move her limbs and breathe easily. She did feel tense from the plane ride, though. Since she had full control of her faculties, what did her body need in that moment? Michi's body required the use of the bathroom, shower, clothes and food, in that order.

As Michi waited for Ty to finish his forty-five minute shower, she flipped through her employee handbook that she had collected from her mail that morning. Apparently, the NPA already knew she was here. She didn't know whether to be flattered or freaked out. She flipped through the requisite dress code, employee contact list and safety precautions, only to stop on her favorite part of every work manual: the sexual harassment code. Thanks to her past experiences with being the only female in an all male work environment, Michi had learned that the sexual harassment code was a girl's best (and worst) friend. Depending on the wording, she could easily get into trouble with her male colleagues. It was rarely as easy for the guys to get in trouble, but Michi had learned how to roll with and throw a few punches in order to gain the guys' respect. This code was a lot stricter than most, even citing that emotional attachments to one's colleagues could interfere with a productive work environment. Huh. This was going to be an interesting group.

Just then, Ty walked out of the bathroom, followed by a thick cloud of steam. '_Great. A cold shower on the first day of work.'_ Michi thought. Thanks to the high humidity outside, Michi was going to have to blow dry her hair before going outdoors. Otherwise, her hair would never dry off. That meant a five-minute shower instead of the ten minutes she had hoped for. Cursing her luck, Michi hopped in the shower and quickly washed up with orange blossom shower gel before washing her hair with a rose scented shampoo and conditioner combination. She then stepped gingerly onto the bathmat and grabbed her robe from the doorjamb. She walked into Ana and Ty's room, only to find Ana curling her hair in front of the wall length mirror.

"Morning Ana. Can I borrow your hair dryer?"

"Of course. Just let me finish this curl so we don't blow a fuse." Michi laughed and sat down next to her friend. Ana unplugged her curler and set up the blow dryer. She then offered to dry Michi's hair for her, since her shoulders were still sore from the flight the night before. Michi heartily accepted and watched as Ana combed through her hair.

Despite Michiko's name, her looks did not belay her quarter Japanese heritage. She had always been told she had very 'universal' looks, thanks to her Japanese grandmother and Italian grandfather on her mother's side. On her father's side of the family, she only knew her grandmother, who was half Irish and half Scottish. Her paternal grandfather had been born and raised in Germany. Unfortunately, he had died of tuberculosis two weeks before Michiko had been born. Thanks to everyone's genetic help, Michiko could have passed as a commoner in any country. The only Japanese part of her that showed was her petite stature and flawless, porcelain skin. Her mid length curly brown hair that fell just below her shoulders was a gift from her Italian grandfather and her strong hazel eyes were attributed to her Scottish roots. According to the family, the German and Irish bloods had only donated their drinking abilities to Michiko, not that she had tested that out lately. Her favorite alcohols were Guinness beer and a Cupcake Vineyards Riesling from the Mosel river region of Germany. So maybe there was some proof to her family's claims.

As Ana put the finishing touches on Michi's hair, Michi began to mentally rummage through her limited wardrobe for a first day at work outfit. She settled on her black pantsuit with the plunging V collar. For modesty's sake, she would wear a lavender tank top underneath the jacket. Topped with her black loafers with the one-inch heel, Michi felt she would make a decent impression on her first day at work. Ana rummaged through her jewelry box while Michi got dressed.

"I know the whole something borrowed something blue crap only applies to weddings, but I want you to have a great first day at work. I know you're wearing blue lingerie..." Ana winked before continuing "... and that pantsuit is old since it came from a thrift store. That top is new since I can still see the tag sticking out at the back." Michi blushed and plucked the offending tag from it's home. Ana smiled when she saw the blush creep up on Michi's face. "That only means you need something borrowed. I know you don't like flashy jewelry, but I think these will be appropriate for today." Here, Ana opened her hands to reveal a small pair of silver hoops, intertwined with a thread of gold that followed the loop. Michi gasped and hugged her generous friend. She put on the earrings, wolfed down her breakfast, grabbed her bento box that Ty had thoughtfully prepared for her and left to catch her train.

**Later That Day**

Michi collapsed in her chair. It was not even noon and she had a pile of papers to fill out. Upon arriving at the police station, she had been greeted by the chief of police and led to her office. She had her own office, overlooking Tokyo Station and furnished in cherry wood. The human resources representative had been waiting in the office for Michi to fill out some basic paperwork. Not even twenty minutes into organizing her office, the chief had knocked on her door asking for her assistance in translating for a few 'American kids' who had been suspected of smuggling cocaine into Japan.

It had turned out that only one of the three kids knew anything about it and had been charged with intent to distribute. Michi had to give the kid credit, though. It was hard enough to smuggle coke from South America into the United States, let alone onto a flight to Japan. Michi had then needed to call the distraught mother and the American embassy. She had discovered that the kid was wanted for a prior conviction of breaking and entering in Arizona. As such, she needed to fill out a stack of papers to get the kid extradited and escorted from Japan to California and, finally, into the arms of Arizona police. '_Why did I sign up for this?_' Michi thought to herself as she typed up the interrogation report. She sipped on her iced chai latte that her assistant had brought to her a few moments ago. Why she had an assistant, was anyone's guess. Her compatriots probably thought everyone in America had an assistant, so they had gotten her one. She was at a loss with what to do with the poor guy, so she sent him on random errands.

As Michi put the finishing touches on her report, there was a soft knock at the door. She groaned inwardly as she stood to welcome her assistant, Toichi Saito. Toichi immediately bowed, which told Michi something was up.

"Forgive the intrusion, Nakashima-san, but the Chief needs your help. They have a Russian in room 18 and they need your translating skills." This time, Michi made her displeasure known by lowering her head and letting out a low groan. She then looked up, took a deep breath and bowed to Toichi.

"Thank you, Saito-kun. I will go over there immediately. In the meantime, could you unpack and organize my law books for me? Please do it by country and then each countries region. Alphabetically, please." Toichi bowed and set right to work unpacking the boxes. Michi grabbed a manila folder and stuffed it with blank papers. If she was going to confront a new person, she liked to look like she had read up on them. Even if it was only a prop, the folder put many criminals and suspected criminals on edge. She also took the time to put on some fake reading glasses and tie her hair up in a makeshift bun. Every Russian she had interrogated seemed to have a penchant for the 'sexy teacher' look. However, that could just be the male species in general. Whatever it was, Michi's supposed sex appeal had helped to drag out many a helpful tidbit in the past. Surely there was no harm in using it here. She also grabbed a Hi-Chew to suck on as she walked to the interrogation room. It would help her focus.

Michi stepped on the elevator just as the chief ran to the elevator door. Michi held the door open for him and he stepped in gratefully.

"I'm sorry to work you so hard on your first day, Nakashima-san. However, we have been without a decent translator for almost a year. So these cases have kind of piled up." He looked over at her sheepishly.

"It's alright, Chief. I kind of expected it, what with how quickly my application was accepted." Michi pressed the fifth floor button and rode quietly up with the Chief, gathering her wits in the process. The chief cleared his throat as they arrived at their stop.

"I shouldn't be telling you this, but your performance is going to be evaluated today by one of my superiors. I'm not telling you how to do your job, but it would behoove you to go well beyond your training."

'_In other words_,' Michi thought, '_don't make it look like I made a poor choice in hiring you.' _Michi smiled warmly as they walked to door 18. "I promise I will not let you down, sir."

"I have full faith in you. Here is the mans record, so you can peruse it as you will." Michi took the paper and placed it in her prop file. With one final nod, she walked through the door to the interrogation room as the chief walked into the adjoining observation room.

_'It's now or never, Michiko. Let's show them what you are made of.'_

Michi immediately noted that the room was freezing cold. However, the man in front of her didn't seem to notice or care. His grey blue eyes pierced right through her as he ruffled his short black hair. '_Good. He noticed the file._' The tic had given his nerves away. Michi sat down so that she was seated at the head of the table with the man on the right side of the square table. She then scooted her chair a little to the right so that her legs could be clearly seen. Though she was wearing pants, they hugged in all the right places. Also, the way Michi sat forced the man to tilt his head and look to the left in order to look at her, which was the natural reading position for Russian readers. By forcing him to mimic learned reading techniques of left to right with his eyes, Michi knew this could put the man more at ease. To Michi's left, the black observation glass appeared completely opaque. But she knew better. Her job and the chief's reputation could be at stake if she messed up.

Michi sat there for a moment, letting the tension build between her and her target. She then crossed her legs and calmly reached for the manila folder with her left hand to prop it against her knee. She calmly pulled out the six pages that the chief had given her and began to read through it.

"So. Andrei Garin." Michi spoke in a lower register, as it befitted the Russian language, "You have been through the hoops many times, comrade." Here, she began to list off his many offenses and the subsequent punishments. "Stealing bread: eighteen months in prison. Breaking and entering: ten months, with early release for good behavior. Manslaughter with a deadly weapon: only fifteen months." Here, Michi raised her eyebrow, looking at Andrei for answers.

"It should say I took a plea bargain." Andrei mumbled. If a bear could talk, his low, grumbling voice would perfectly mimic Andrei's. _'A man who enjoys his cigarettes, I see.'_ Michi put the file back on the table.

"I will make sure that gets noted in your file, comrade. Now," Here Michi leaned forward, jutting out her breasts in the process, "Would you mind telling me why you are in this room right now?"

Andrei licked his lips and looked nervously at the observation glass. "They didn't tell you?"

"What my superiors have or have not disclosed to me is none of your concern." Michi leaned back in her chair and re-crossed her legs, slowly. "I want to hear it from you. If it could help with your court case, I will disclose it to whomever would represent you." Michi chose this moment to put her elbow on the chairs arm and nibble at her left thumbnail while trying to stare at Andrei in a sexy manner. She motioned with her right hand for him to speak.

Andrei squirmed in his seat and licked his lips again. _'Gotcha.'_ Michi thought triumphantly. She cut her internal celebration short as Andrei began to tell his story.

"Well... I don't know how else to say this. I am here looking for an item for my boss."

"Like what, comrade? Decorative chopsticks?" Michi dug at Andrei's pride by belittling his choice in words. Andrei shot her a look of contempt before continuing.

"Nothing like that. It's a notebook. My boss had received word from one of his Japanese contacts that there is a notebook that can kill people if you write their name in it. I personally think he's crazy, but he is my boss. I can't disobey him."

'_You aren't the only one who thinks he is crazy._' Michi thought. "What is the name of this contact?"

"The boss called him Denueve. I highly doubt that is his real name. Or if it even is a man."

"I see." Michi picked up the file again. If nothing else, her hands needed something to play with. "And your boss' name?"

"You know I won't divulge that information. No matter what you do." Andrei looked away from Michi and focused on the observation glass.

"Oh, really?" Michi purred. This was where things could get tricky. If she played the part too hard, Andrei would see right through her act. However, if she played the role too soft, she could get overpowered and need the help of whoever was behind the glass. The last thing Michi wanted was to be rescued like a damsel in distress. "If that's the case, comrade..." Michi stood up and took her glasses off, gently setting them on the table, "... then I think a little quid pro quo is in order."

"Quid pro quo?" Andrei looked dubious as Michi sat on the table just to his left. Close enough for him to smell her, but he could not touch her thanks to the shackles around his wrists and ankles.

"You give me some information and I will not blackmail you."

Andrei laughed nervously, "And what blackmail would that be?" Michi took this moment to lean close to the man, giving him a chance to peak at her cleavage if he so chose to.

"I would have to call your wife and tell her that you are being held on account of conspiracy and assault on a female investigator. I highly doubt she would like to hear all the steamy details of how you raped a woman who was merely trying to interrogate you on your boss' name. Of all the things for her to get a call about... and those poor children." Michi was fishing blindly here, hoping against hope this man had a wife and kids. The flash of fear in his eyes sparked her hope anew.

"Please! You wouldn't... you couldn't..."

"You aren't in Russia, Andrei. We have our own rules here. Now..." Michi chose this moment to grab Andrei's shirt and pull him closer. "Talk."

"His name is Ruslan Oborin. He runs a few groups that are in cahoots with other mafia entities. The one I'm a part of is called Volya. We are merely a security group. Nowhere near the elite groups Ruslan runs with. The Volya group is in charge of keeping in contact with the Japanese and Chinese entities that give us information for other information. Hence why I'm here trying to get information on this notebook for my boss. Please don't call Anya!" Here, Andrei began to cry. Michi felt bad for the poor guy. Unlike a lot of the other guys she had interrogated, Andrei really cared for his wife. It certainly didn't sound like a marriage of convenience.

"Good work, comrade." Michi chose this moment to stand and brush her hands on her pants. As she straightened her jacket, she looked at the man as he hung his head in shame. "I will make sure that we get you back to Russia as soon as possible. Your information has been invaluable to us. We might call on you in the future." _'Provided you are alive after divulging your boss' name to the Japanese government.'_ Michi put on her glasses and picked up her folder. When she was sure the door was shut closed behind her, she leaned against the door and let out the breath she had been holding in. She took off the glasses and undid her bun. The mask was no longer needed. As she placed her hairpins and glasses in the folder, the chief walked out of the door to her right.

"I must say, those were some... unconventional techniques you used there." The chief looked very uncomfortable as he spoke the veiled compliment. Michi could tell her act had worked on more than just Andrei.

"'Know your enemy.' Isn't that how the phrase goes, sir?"

"Yes. Yes indeed." The chief coughed before continuing. "My superior was very impressed with your performance. He wants to know if you will meet with him in his office for lunch?" Michi raised her eyebrow. This could take a turn for the worse if she misinterpreted the superior's meaning for lunch. The chief could tell he had not clearly relayed his message and quickly added, "He wants to talk to you about a case he needs help with. Your interpreting skills will come in very handy for this job." Michi nodded her consent.

"Of course. Let me grab my lunch and then I will head to his office." The chief held up his hand, stopping Michi in her tracks.

"That won't be necessary. We already called Saito-kun and asked him to deliver your lunch to the office. It should be waiting for you. Twentieth floor, the room at the end of the hall."

"Thank you, sir." Michi walked to the elevator and pressed the button. She turned and saw the chief walk back into the observation room. Michi briefly wondered who else had been in that room before walking onto the elevator. She saw that the twentieth floor button had to be operated with a key card. She pulled her key card out of her pocket and swiped it; hoping permission had already been keyed into the system. It had.

Michi straightened her suit and pulled her hair back from her face into a low ponytail, using a rubber band she found in her other pocket. Looking in the reflective glass of the elevator, she made sure her makeup was still in place. As the doors opened on the twentieth floor, she took a deep breath and turned right to start down the corridor.

The walk felt longer than it really was. When Michi finally reached the last door, she prayed to the gods for their strength. Then she knocked.

"Enter." Michi heard a low voice call out. She opened the door and stepped inside. In front of her, she could see a metal desk with countless computer monitors on it. To her left and right were even more monitors, showing images inside the station and out onto the nearby street. She could even see the coffee shop that was five blocks away from the station being displayed on one screen. _'Gods! How paranoid is this guy? Or does he have some sort of god complex?'_ Michi turned her eyes back to the desk, where the back of a swivel chair faced her. The man in question was looking at a giant screen that covered the whole wall behind the desk. The screen was broken into twenty different quadrants, each of which showed the inside of an interrogation room. Michi briefly saw Andrei being led out of room 18 before she noticed the man was speaking to her.

"I'm sorry, sir. I didn't catch that." Michi mentally berated herself for losing awareness of her surroundings.

"I said you did a terrific job in there. A little too perfect... But we will discuss that later. Would you care for a macaroon?" The chair turned and as the occupant of the chair was revealed, Michi's world turned upside down.

_'Damn it!' _Black, sleep deprived eyes gazed back at her in amusement. _'It's him!'_

**-End Ch. 3-**


	4. First Day Promotion

**Title**: All is Forgotten, All is Forgiven

**Author**: kathleenrose747

**Pairing**: L (Lawliet, Ryuzaki, Eraldo Coil, Denueve, Hideki Ryuga)/OC

**Rating: **T-M

**Disclaimer**: I have not, nor will I ever own anything relating to the idea, copyright, persons/characters and creation of Death Note. I also don't own any of the sweets mentioned in here. The only thing I own is Michiko Nakashima, a character of my own creation.

**Authors Note**: I do use some of L's other aliases in the story. If you get confused, go to the Death Note Wiki or just look up L on Wikipedia to get a background on his aliases. I won't go into too much background with those names and their uses. Also, L is 29 years old in this story. So yes, we can consider it AU. Please review with constructive criticism. I would also like unadulterated praise, if it is available. :)

**Chapter 4: First Day Promotion**

Michiko stood in the doorway in shock. The man sitting crouched in the chair was none other than the creepy guy from the cab. Well, 'creepy' may be taking it a little far, but that was the first impression Michi had gotten when she had first laid eyes on him. The man slowly untangled himself from his chair, never taking his eyes from Michiko as he shuffled around the desk towards her. Michi suddenly wished she had had enough foresight to bring some sort of weapon with her. She did not think a manila envelope would scare this guy. When the man stood in front of her, she unintentionally flinched. His lip twitched slightly as he grabbed her wrist and brought it closer towards him. He then placed a few colorful macaroons in Michi's hand before letting go.

"Good. You do not trust me immediately. That will come in handy." As the man scratched his head, he tried to reassure Michi by mumbling, "Those aren't poisoned, you know." Michi snapped back to the present and stuttered out a thank you. The man tilted his head, studying Michi's face for a while. When the silence got too tense, he turned around and began moving back towards the desk. He motioned to the front of the desk. "Grab a chair, and we shall begin."

Michi looked around for another chair, only finding a red and black papasan chair to her far right. _'Great. I have to sit on a glorified beanbag. How degrading is this?'_ Michi closed the door behind her. She then placed her folder in the chair before dragging its bulk across the room to the front of the desk. As she tried to sit comfortably in the chair, the man began organizing his macaroons by color. _'Huh. At least he has a penchant for details.' _The man then turned his attention to one of the monitors to his left and began typing rapidly. He blew a stray lock of hair away from his face as he continued typing. After a few minutes passed in silence, Michi cleared her throat.

"Um... sir?"

"You may address me as Ryuzaki." As he continued typing with his right hand, he reached down behind the desk with his left hand. Michi heard the metallic click of a desk drawer opening and heavy thumps and rustling as the man called Ryuzaki rifled through the contents without taking his eyes off the monitor. He finally found what he was looking for and the drawer closed with a solid _thunk_. He pushed a folder towards Michi. "This is what I need your help with."

Michi was relieved to do something other than look around the room. She took the folder and flipped it open to reveal several pictures. They had clearly been taken without the targets knowledge as many were blurred and the subject was rarely looking at the lens. After flipping through the pictures, Michi set them aside to look at the notes. The entire folder was written in Russian, which didn't trouble Michi. What troubled her, however, was the wording. She had to triple check her translations to make sure her eyes had not tricked her. Something about a 'notebook of death' kept popping up at random intervals. Her mind immediately flashed back to what Andrei had said in the interrogation room just moments before: _'My boss had received word from one of his Japanese contacts that there is a notebook that can kill people if you write their name in it.' _Had Andrei really been telling the truth? And if it was true, why was the Japanese government so interested in the notebook? Michi also noted that there were several black marks on the pages. Noting the length of the marks and the prepositions placed before them, Michi could only surmise that a name had been blacked out. She could tell it was only one particular name because there were other names that Michi could read very clearly.

When she finally finished perusing the folder, she set it on top of the photos before leaning back and closing her eyes. By closing her eyes, Michi could gather her thoughts and put them in their proper order. The Russian group, Volya, was attempting to get their hands on a killer notebook in order to hold other countries hostage. By threatening to kill off figureheads of each country, the Russians felt they could control all of the world's resources. As such, heavy hitters like the United States and Great Britain would come crawling to Russia if they wanted to survive. _'And I thought the world was already fucked up before this notebook got thrown into the mix.'_ Michi opened her eyes, only to see Ryuzaki staring intently at her.

"So, what do you deduce from your readings, Nakashima-san?" Ryuzaki picked up a purple macaroon and broke it in half, nibbling on each half as he waited for Michi's response.

"What I deduce is that the world is about to go to hell in a hand basket." Ryuzaki tilted his head, encouraging Michi to elaborate. "If this notebook really does exist, whoever has it must be apprehended immediately. They could then be encouraged to destroy the notebook themselves or face a long time in prison for treason and aiding and abetting." Michi rubbed her eyes before continuing, "Though I have my doubts that this 'notebook of death' exists, if the Russians are this hard pressed to find it, that could only mean two things: that there is something infecting their water or this notebook really truly exists. If this... thing exists, we have to get off our asses and find the owner as quickly as our resources allow us." Michi stopped rubbing her eyes and looked at Ryuzaki. She was startled to see his wrists out in front of him in an 'arrest me' position. "Um... Ryuzaki?"

"You just said that whomever was in possession of the Death Note should turn themselves in immediately. As you can see, that is exactly what I am doing." Ryuzaki tilted his head to the left, never blinking as he looked at Michi's startled expression. "Well? Aren't you going to arrest me, Nakashima-san?"

Michi's brain misfired. She couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that this notebook really existed. And that this man in front of her was admitting he had knowledge of the item.

"What the hell did you just say?" Michi whispered. Ryuzaki smiled and pushed the chair back from the desk. _'Surely he is just fucking with me.'_ Michi thought. Ryuzaki then reached behind his back and extracted a nondescript black notebook. As he pushed it towards Michi, she could feel the evil radiating off of the thing. The only thought that pierced through the fog in Michi brain was, _'He was __sitting__ on this the whole time?!'_ When Michi tried to reach for the notebook, Ryuzaki slapped at her hands, making her jump.

"Don't touch it. Whoever touches the notebook is forced to be its bearer until someone else touches it. I don't want you to be burdened with that curse." Ryuzaki flipped open the cover of the book to the first page. Michi's blood chilled as she read the words written on the page:

Death Note: How to use it

- The human whose name is written in this note shall die.  
- This note will not take effect unless the writer has the person's face in their mind when writing his/her name. Therefore, people sharing the same name will not be affected.

-If the cause of death is written within 40 seconds of writing the persons name, it will happen.  
- If the cause of death is not specified, the person will simply die of e heart attack.  
- After writing the cause of death, details of the death should be written in the next 6 minutes and 40 seconds.

At the bottom of the page were two more notes. They almost looked like afterthoughts, seeing how carelessly they were scribbled in.

- If the owner of the Death Note does not kill within thirteen days of the last entry, he or she will die.  
- If the Death Note is burnt, destroyed, or otherwise damaged in any way, all those who have touched that Death Note will die.

Michi could see why Ryuzaki had not wanted her to touch the Death Note. If that last note were true, she would have died if the notebook were to be destroyed.

"So destroying the notebook is out of the question then?" Michi glanced at Ryuzaki.

"For the sake of my self preservation, yes. The Death Note cannot be destroyed." Ryuzaki then proceeded to flip through the pages for Michi's perusal. In the last few pages, she recognized the names of several well-known child molesters in the United States who had died of random heart attacks a few days after their arrest dates. _'Oh gods. It's true.' _Michi leaned as far back from the book and Ryuzaki as she could. This man had the capability of killing her and her family. She had to play along with his plan until she could alert the proper authorities.

"May I ask you a few questions regarding this case?" Michi licked her lips, thinking that the room had suddenly grown really hot in the past few minutes.

"I would question your abilities as an investigator if you didn't interrogate me." Ryuzaki closed the Death Note and sat in a crouched position in his chair. "I will try to be as truthful as my knowledge allows me to be. I am well aware you have a TS/SCI clearance level, but forgive me if my memory is foggy on some details." Michi wondered what else this man knew about her aside from her top-level security clearance. She had received a Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information clearance shortly before leaving for her job here in Japan. The tests and screenings had been rigorous, but she had passed with flying colors. Michi shook her head and looked at the man in front of her.

"How did you get the Death Note?"

"I became the unfortunate owner of this Death Note after a few previous cases. We received information about the existence of more than one Death Note in Japan and we pursued someone who we suspected to be the owner of one of them. Through that, we found both Death Notes, which have since been destroyed along with the owners. The man we pursued subsequently died the day after the investigation concluded. By his own hand, I assume." Ryuzaki chewed on his thumbnail thoughtfully before continuing. "I then tracked some rumors that there was another Death Note in America. That was how I got my hands on this one." He patted the Death Note in front of him. "Now that I have it, I'm cursed to write down a name every thirteen days, or I will die."

"Murderers and child molesters. What gives you the right to play God?" Michi crossed her arms across her chest.

"I have no right other than the preservation of my own life." Ryuzaki tilted his head, focusing his unblinking eyes on Michi's face. "Wouldn't you want to do anything possible to stay alive if you knew one moments slip up could end your life?"

"That is an interesting way of putting it. But I am the one doing the interrogation here." Michi skillfully sidestepped Ryuzaki's question.

"Of course. Please continue." Ryuzaki picked up another macaroon and nibbled on it.

"Have you ever made a mistake when it came to the Death Note?"

Ryuzaki's gaze became distant as he stopped eating the macaroon. "I have only slipped up on three occasions. Once deliberately and the other two times... well, the results were unfortunate."

Michi's arms tightened across her chest. She swallowed her fear before continuing, "What happened?"

Ryuzaki's eyes came back into focus and his gaze lowered to meet Michi's eyes. She instantly felt like her soul had just taken an ice bath.

"Twice, I wrote down names of people before their trials were completed. One rapist and another child molester were found to have been innocent shortly after their deaths. The only way I could justify it is to say that my thirteen day limits were coming to a close and I got sloppy."

"I see." Michi uncrossed her arms. "So what do you need me for?" Ryuzaki tapped the folder Michi had set aside.

"One of the Russian contacts will be flying in tomorrow night to enquire about the Death Note. He has a penchant for women, so I want you to come along with me as my translator to put the man at ease." Michi could tell Ryuzaki wasn't telling her everything.

"What is the catch?"

Ryuzaki picked up his abandoned macaroon, "His penchant for women is strictly in a red light district fashion." He nibbled on the macaroon, taking note of Michi's expressions. Michi rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"Alright. As long as I get a pay raise for this, I'll go along with it." Michi stood up and collected the folder and pictures. "I will talk with you later about the details. I have some extradition papers that require my immediate attention."

"Yes. About contacting me..." Ryuzaki opened the desk drawer again, withdrawing a cell phone and a fourth generation Glock 19. Michi looked at the gun warily. Ryuzaki pointed to the cell phone. "Just key in the number 1 and press send. You will automatically be connected to me no matter where you are or how poor the signal is." He then gestured to the Glock. "I assume you know how to use a gun. I did some research and found this was suitable for someone with feminine hands. The only thing you have to figure out is how to hide it on your persons at all times." As Michi collected the cell phone and gun, Ryuzaki stood and picked up the Death Note with his thumb and index finger. He followed Michi to the door and opened the door with his free hand. "Until next time, Nakashima-san."

"Please call me Michiko. And I have one more question, Ryuzaki." He tilted his head upon hearing his name. "What was the deliberate mistake you made in regards to the Death Note?"

"Oh that. I deliberately misspelled someone's name in the Death Note. Of course, I wrote a real name after it to ensure at least one death within my thirteen-day sentence. I discovered that misspelling the name spared the person from an unfortunate death."

"Well that was fortunate for them." Michi stepped out the door and walked down the hall to the elevator. Ryuzaki closed the door behind her and flipped open the Death Note. In the middle of the book was a single misspelled name.

_L Lawleit_

_'Yes. Fortunate indeed.' _Ryuzaki thought to himself.

**-End Ch. 4-**


	5. Operation Russian Roulette

**Title**: All is Forgotten, All is Forgiven

**Author**: kathleenrose747

**Pairing**: L (Lawliet, Ryuzaki, Eraldo Coil, Denueve, Hideki Ryuga)/OC

**Rating: **T-M

**Disclaimer**: I have not, nor will I ever own anything relating to the idea, copyright, persons/characters and creation of Death Note. I also don't own any of the sweets mentioned in here. The only thing I own is Michiko Nakashima, a character of my own creation.

**Authors Note**: I do use some of L's other aliases in the story. If you get confused, go to the Death Note Wiki or just look up L on Wikipedia to get a background on his aliases. I won't go into too much background with those names and their uses. Also, L is 29 years old in this story. So yes, we can consider it AU. Please review with constructive criticism. I would also like unadulterated praise, if it is available. :)

**Chapter 5: Operation Russian Roulette**

Michi didn't finish her extradition report until well after 22:00. The chief had told her she could finish up the Andrei interview report at home, so long as she emailed it to him by 13:00 the next day. The chief also told her she could stay home the rest of the day tomorrow since he had been informed that she had an important mission the following night. Michi said goodbye to the chief and reminded him to send her Toichi's contact information so she could give him the day off tomorrow.

As Michi walked across the street to the train station, it occurred to her that she did not own any clothing that was 'red light district' appropriate. She pulled up an Internet browser on her new phone and searched for nearby adult costume shops. She discovered that there was a five-story shop next to Akihabara station. It was discreetly titled Ms, even though the pictures showed that the store was not discreet in the least. The Akihabara station was just north of Tokyo station, so Michi hopped on a line that was heading north. She would catch the Yamanote line on her way back to Meguro.

When Michi arrived in Akihabara, she walked out of the station and turned to her left towards a store that prominently displayed skimpy female outfits in its windows. She paused outside the door to check on her bank account. When she pulled out her phone, she noticed that she had a text message from someone labeled 'R'. _'Probably Ryuzaki checking up on me.'_ Michi opened the text message and read it.

_Michiko, I figured you might need to get some supplies for tomorrows mission. Consider this your advance payment for future services rendered. R._

Ignoring the potential double entendre, Michi clicked on the link Ryuzaki had included. The link took her to her bank account statement. Michi stared in disbelief at the amount.

_'Four hundred thousand yen?! That's just a little over five thousand American dollars!'_ Michi took a deep breath and lowered the phone. _'This guy certainly has money to throw around. Then again, depending on how dangerous this mission is, the money could come in handy to help mom and dad.'_ Michi then began to examine her phone. She figured she could at least send some pictures of potential outfits to Ryuzaki, since he was putting forward all this money. When she found the application, a disturbing message popped up: _Error. No camera found._

_'What? But I'm staring right at the camera.' _Michi put her face closer to the front facing camera. She could see a tiny red dot blinking inside the camera housing. _'That bastard! He's watching me!' _Squelching her initial reaction to throw the phone away, Michi took a deep breath. _'Fine. Two can play at that game.'_ Michi placed the camera in its holster, which was attached to her hip. This time, she made sure the camera was facing outward.

_'You want a show? I'll make sure you get a show.'_

**Later**

It was just past midnight when Michi let herself into the apartment. She made sure to gingerly walk down the hall to her fold out bed so as not to wake up Ty and Ana. She stashed the offending bags into the closet and tiptoed into the kitchen to warm up a frozen dinner. As she ate her turkey and cranberry sauce, she thought back on her first day at work. She couldn't think of any other person in existence that had received a promotion on their first day at work. Indeed, it was very odd, but Michi wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. _'Of course,'_ Michi looked towards the closet where her new outfits were stored, _'This is one suspicious gift horse.'_

After Michi threw away her dinner remains, she brushed her teeth and changed into a black t-shirt and loose fitting black pants. As she pulled back the covers, she reached for her phone. She figured she would send Ryuzaki a message. If nothing else, to let him know she got home safe. When she saw the blinking message light, she rolled her eyes. _'Of course he would beat me to the punch.' _Michi thought as she opened the text.

_'Michiko, I'm glad to see you got home safe. Please know that the video camera was installed purely for your safety. I truly hope I didn't offend you. R.' _Michi smiled at the message. Maybe she was being too hard on Ryuzaki. He wasn't being a jerk, he was just watching out for her. Before she could respond, her message box pinged again.

_'Also, I hope you didn't pick the yellow and black outfit. I don't think the informant will take you seriously if you look like a bumblebee. R.'_

Michiko turned off the phone and pulled the sheets over her head. _'I take it back. He is still a jerk.'_

**Next Day**

After a restless nights sleep, Michi woke up around 9:00. As she stumbled to the kitchen for breakfast, she saw that there was a note on the table from Ana. It simply stated that Ana and Ty would be going out for the night and that Michi was free to do whatever she wanted to. Michi snorted, _'I would rather be going out with you guys than hanging onto my boss' arm dressed like a hooker.'_

After pouring herself some cereal and soymilk, Michi flopped on her bed and pulled out her laptop from her travel bag. She wanted to get that report done well before 13:00 so she would have time to relax and get made up for the mission. Not that she was doing this for Ryuzaki. She was doing it so that the informant would believe the ruse that she was putting forth. If she blew their cover, Michi would never let herself live it down.

After emailing the interrogation report at 12:00 on the dot, Michi took a long, hot shower and put her hair up in foam rollers. She then sat back and watched a Japanese soap opera. Unlike American soap operas, this one was actually believable. She lay there painting her nails and flipping through channels until 17:30, when she received a text from Ryuzaki.

_'This is your two hour warning. Meet me outside Meguro station at 19:30. R.'_ Michi took that as her cue to pull out her make up bag and go to her bathroom to slather on make up. Two swipes of red lipstick, a layer of dark eye shadow, three swipes of pink blush on each cheek and three layers of mascara later, Michi felt she looked significantly 'tarted up' as her little sister would put it. She looked like she was on the prowl for clients, but also ragged enough to look like she could have been on the streets since she was a young teenager. Fear of potential STD's would keep the wary ones at bay.

Michi then walked into her room and pulled out her clothes for the night. First, she put on the black lacy lingerie. She was actually glad to have made that particular purchase because it made her feel more powerful. The opaque red tights went on next, closely followed by a black pleather miniskirt. Michi had made sure that the skirt had a slit up the side so that she could easily grab her gun, if she needed to. Finally, Michi pulled on an off the shoulder, long sleeved red top with black netting. Adding gold hoops and a gold cross for irony's sake, Michi felt she was ready to go. She grabbed a small black purse and placed her cell phone, house key and lipstick in it before strapping her gun to the inside of her left thigh. _'I feel like I might need another shower after this.'_ Michi was brought back to reality as her phone vibrated in her purse. That was her alarm, telling her she had fifteen minutes to get to the station. She walked to the door and took a deep breath. _'I'm sorry about this, Momma. It's just for work.'_ Michi thought before she closed the door behind her.

As she walked down the street towards the station, Michi could feel eyes watching her every move. Once in awhile, she got a catcall, which she promptly answered with a middle finger. Upon her arrival at the station, Michi could see other prostitutes lingering in the alleyways that hugged both sides of Meguro station. The other women eyed Michi warily, not sure what to make of this newcomer. Michi was still five minutes early, so she leaned against the brick wall to the right of the station. The heat of the day had not yet seeped out of the brick and she briefly relished in its warmth.

Just as she was starting to get comfortable, Michi saw a black car roll up to the front of the station and pull to a stop. The women around her started to preen as they positioned themselves in ways that they felt would grab their customer's attentions. Michi got caught up in the action and pressed her shoulders into the brick, jutting out her chest. She also turned her head to the left so her face would be partially obscured by her hair. If the person in that car really was Ryuzaki, he would be able to spot her with no problem. The position also helped to deter anyone else who could be in that car. If they couldn't see everything a woman was offering, including her face, they would pass over her immediately.

The back passenger door opened and the man stepped out onto the street. He was dressed in a basic black business suit with a crisp white shirt and skinny black tie to accent it. His black hair hung in spikes around his face and fell to his shoulders. He stood at an impressive five foot ten inches as he surveyed the women, gauging their wares. _'That can't be him. He's too... too...'_ Michi's brain stopped midsentence as the man walked straight towards her. The sleep deprived eyes gave him away as he looked her up and down. Michi had a distinct feeling that the appraisal was not part of the act. He then held out his hand towards her. She looked at his hand and back to his eyes as if to say, _'You know I trust you, right?'_ The man nodded as if he had read her mind. She took his hand and let him lead her back towards the car. Michi distinctly heard one of the prostitutes hiss a vulgar word under her breath. As Michi slid into the backseat, she threw what she hoped to be a haughty glare at the speaker.

The man then slid into the backseat with her and closed the door. He tapped on the dividing glass to signal to the driver to keep driving. Michi looked out of the corner of her right eye to see the man assume a crouching position on the seat. _'Oh yeah. It's him.'_ Michi relaxed and looked out the left window as they drove along. After a couple minutes, Ryuzaki tapped her on her shoulder. This time his body was facing her and his hands rested on his knees.

"I was wondering if you would need anything in order to relax? I know this is a highly stressful situation for you, but I want you to appear as though you have been in this lifestyle for a long time. You look the part..." here, Michi shot him a menacing glare, "... but you do not have that relaxed aura of someone who isn't afraid of the streets. Hence why the next thing I'm going to ask of you is very difficult for me to say." Ryuzaki held out his hand. "Hand over the gun." Michi began to protest, but Ryuzaki held up a finger to silence her. "As long as you have that gun on you, you will have a nagging fear in the back of your mind that something will go wrong. It will show in your face and mannerisms, thus compromising our mission." Here, he paused before adding, "I'm also asking you to trust that I can and will protect you, if the need arises." Michi searched his face, looking for any trace of deception. When she could not find any, she sighed and turned her back to Ryuzaki.

She reached under her skirt and unhooked the gun and its holster from her thigh. After making sure the safety was still on, Michi handed the gun back to Ryuzaki. What she hadn't expected was for him to grab her wrist and pull her closer towards him. She also didn't expect to feel his mouth on her right collarbone, nipping at the skin and drawing blood to the surface. As his tongue ran small circles over the mark, his nails clawed down the left side of her neck, leaving tingling, raised marks. When Michi was finally able to struggle away from his strong grip, the man had the indecency of not looking the least bit ruffled, while Michi panted in disbelief.

"What in God's name did you do that for?" Michi's slight southern accent slipped out as she yelled at Ryuzaki. She reached for her purse, never once taking her eyes off of him. She pulled out a small compact mirror that came with the purse and looked at her neck. _'Yep. That's going to leave a mark._' Michi put away the mirror and glanced at the offender, waiting for him to answer her question.

"I apologize, Michiko. But if we are going to have a believable escort/client relationship, I have to make it look like I had a minimal amount of fun with you. And if I had asked for your permission, you would not have struggled as much, making the marks and this relationship look much more forced." Michiko could understand his reasoning, but just moments before he had molested her neck, he had been asking her to trust him. It was a great way to start a fake relationship.

Michiko then noticed that the car had stopped. Ryuzaki tapped once on the dividing glass and got one tap back. He turned to face Michiko. "It looks like we have arrived. Are you ready?" Michiko nodded silently, smoothing her hair. Ryuzaki opened the door and stepped out, reaching his left hand in to help Michiko to her feet. As the car drove away, Michiko couldn't help but feel like she had nailed the final nail in her coffin.

As Michiko became more aware of her surroundings, she noticed they were in a warehouse district. By the sound of the airplane engines to the west, they were not too far from either Narita or Haneda airport. Since she had not paid much attention to her surroundings on the drive over, she could not accurately guess which airport they were closer to. However, due to the small amount of time they had spent in the car, she was able to scratch all of the other airports off of her list. Her train of thought was broken as Ryuzaki wrapped his arm around her waist. She looked up at him and saw that he had pulled himself back up to his full height. It just made her feel that much smaller knowing she couldn't easily look him in the eyes. Not that she wanted to after that stunt he pulled in the car.

As they walked towards an alley between two buildings, Ryuzaki leaned in to whisper into Michi's ear. "By the way, if you must call me by a name, Denueve is the only name you can use. Got that?" Michi nodded and recited the name in her head several times in order to memorize it. However, running through the name triggered a memory from the day before; _'_"_What is the name of this contact?" "The boss called him Denueve. I highly doubt that is his real name. Or if it even is a man."' _

_'Shitshitshitshitshit!'_ Michi thought, _'Ryuzaki is the contact for Volya! And I'm working with him! Unless this is some elaborate double cross, I could get a major slap on the wrist for this.'_ Michi bit her tongue and kept up with the pace Ryuzaki set. As they turned the corner, they saw three men hiding in the shadows. Michi instinctively moved closer to Ryuzaki as he tightened his grip on her. Ryuzaki leaned towards her ear again, "From here on out, translate everything I say into Russian. No matter how funny it may sound." Michi nodded as Ryuzaki stopped close to the three men and leaned against the wall. Michi followed suit, placing herself between the men so she could translate easier. Ryuzaki cleared his throat and began to speak.

"The clouds don't look so threatening tonight." Michi relayed the message in Russian. The man closest to her right lit a cigarette and Michi could briefly see the outline of a short man in his early sixties with a camel colored coat and a hat to match. If the scene wasn't ridiculous enough as it was, Michi could have sworn she was in a Dick Tracy film. The man with the cigarette blew out some smoke and replied.

"I've seen worse weather at home." Before Michi could translate it back into Japanese, Ryuzaki spoke again, "I hope your family is doing well."

_'Huh. This is turning into a one-way translation. He must understand some basic Russian.' _Michi shrugged as she spoke. The man in the coat turned to look at Ryuzaki. "The family is doing as well as to be expected."

Ryuzaki nodded, confirming Michi's basic Russian theory. "And the wife and kids?"

The man took another drag of his cigarette before continuing, "The kids are settling in here just fine. The wife is having some cosmetic work done back home, if you know what I mean." Ryuzaki and the man had a small chuckle at the comment before continuing.

"So how much are you paying for the kids tuition, nowadays?" Ryuzaki asked. At this point he pulled Michi closer to his side. One of the man's goons had shifted his weight, putting Ryuzaki on edge. The older man had either ignored Ryuzaki's move or just didn't care for the sudden possessiveness over the woman in the equation.

"I'm paying out the ass. A good 7,953,000 Yen." Ryuzaki whistled softly. According to Michi's calculations, that translated to almost 100,000 American dollars. Ryuzaki squeezed her waist softly before continuing.

"Your wife gave birth last summer, didn't she?"

"Yep. Twin girls. That brings our brood up to fifteen if you can believe it." Ryuzaki's nails dug into Michi's skin. That news had certainly struck a chord with him.

"I will have to send Asha my congratulations. When will she be out of the hospital?"

The man took a final drag on his cigarette and threw it on the ground. One of the goons ground it out under a heavy heel. "She should be done with her surgeries by the end of September. The doctors say she will be out of the hospital and on her way home by mid-October." Ryuzaki nodded at the news.

"A momma bear needs to be home with her cubs, am I right?" The other man guffawed loudly at Ryuzaki's choice in words.

"Oh, most certainly, my friend." The man turned to face Michi and Ryuzaki. "Well, I have to get back to my hotel. How about a hug, for old times sake?" Michi interpreted that to mean that they were about to get patted down for weapons or wires. As Ryuzaki was bear hugged by one of the goons, Michi stepped into the shadows and leaned in to hug the old man. He took his sweet time 'frisking' Michi. He spent an abnormal amount of time grabbing on her breasts, buttocks and even between her legs. Michi was suddenly very glad Ryuzaki had insisted on leaving the gun in the car. When the man finally stopped, Michi stepped back and bumped into Ryuzaki, who swiftly put his arm back around Michi's midsection. He was really tense, which could have had several meanings. But Michi brushed that from her mind as they turned to walk away. Before they had had a chance to walk all of ten steps, the old man called out to Michi.

"Young lady! I forgot to ask for your name." The man tilted his head to the side, waiting for an answer. Michi knew her acting skills and her knowledge of world events had to come into play here.

She turned and answered sweetly, "My name is Karina Volkin, sir."

"Ah! A good Russian name! Where were you born, my child?"

"Kashin, sir. My father used to work for the steel mills in Kesova Gora. My mother was a seamstress." It was common in Russian culture to discuss one's parents after divulging one's place of birth, so Michi didn't think twice of it.

"Kesova Gora? Where that explosion happened in 1996?" The man's eyebrows rose slightly.

"Yes, sir. My father was in that very explosion. Since my mother was of Japanese descent, we came to live with my grandparents in Kagoshima."

"You use the past tense with your mother. What happened to her?"

"We still do not know. I came home from school when I was fifteen and found her in her bedroom. I shook her repeatedly, but she never moved. My grandmother came in and screamed at me that I had killed my mother. I left home on that day and have been on the streets ever since." Michi took this time to look down at the ground and sniffle for effect. Ryuzaki squeezed her side, either in encouragement or as a warning not to overact. The man shook his head from side to side.

"You poor thing. It is a good thing Mr. Denueve is taking care of you. I am assuming you two are exclusive?" Michi leaned into Ryuzaki's arms for effect.

"Yes, sir. He has been taking good care of me these past six months. I'm very glad we found each other." The man smiled at the news.

"I hope she is treating you well, my friend. She certainly looks a lot better than that last girl you came here with." The man chuckled and turned to walk in the opposite direction. Before he got too far, he clicked his fingers at one of his goons. "Oh, and one more thing. I would love for you two to come to my oldest son's birthday this weekend." At the mention of the party, one of the goons handed Ryuzaki two gold embossed envelopes. The man looked over his shoulder directly at Ryuzaki. "I will not take no for an answer." Without waiting for a reply, the man continued down the alley until him and his goons were out of sight.

Ryuzaki let go of Michiko as they quickly walked in the opposite direction towards their car. He tapped on the moon roof twice and the doors were unlocked. As Michiko slid into the backseat, she could tell Ryuzaki was on edge. He crouched into his normal position and nibbled at the edge of his thumb. After a few tense minutes, he pressed a button on the door that turned on the intercom. "Driver?"

"Yes, sir?" came the reply.

"Take me back to my apartment, please."

There was a pause before the driver replied, "And the young lady, sir?" Ryuzaki looked knowingly at Michiko before speaking.

"She is coming home with me."

**-End Ch. 5-**


	6. Unintentional Intentions

**Title**: All is Forgotten, All is Forgiven

**Author**: kathleenrose747

**Pairing**: L (Lawliet, Ryuzaki, Eraldo Coil, Denueve, Hideki Ryuga)/OC

**Rating: **T-M

**Disclaimer**: I have not, nor will I ever own anything relating to the idea, copyright, persons/characters and creation of Death Note. I also don't own any of the sweets mentioned in here. The only thing I own is Michiko Nakashima, a character of my own creation.

**Authors Note**: I do use some of L's other aliases in the story. If you get confused, go to the Death Note Wiki or just look up L on Wikipedia to get a background on his aliases. I won't go into too much background with those names and their uses. Also, L is 29 years old in this story. So yes, we can consider it AU. Please review with constructive criticism. I would also like unadulterated praise, if it is available. :)

**Chapter 6- Unintentional Intentions**

As Michi and Ryuzaki rode back toward Meguro station, both parties sat in silence, involved in their thoughts. For Michi, she was freaked out by Ryuzaki's order that she go with him to his apartment. On the bright side, the gun was safely reattached to her leg, should she need it. She didn't like the idea of possibly shooting her boss, but if she had to defend herself, she would do so with claws at the ready.

Ryuzaki sat trapped in his own whirlwind of thoughts. The conversation had not gone as he had planned. Even so, the information that had been gleaned was invaluable. He only hoped that the situation could be resolved swiftly and with minimal bloodshed. He also hoped his impeding actions would not put Michiko into harms way. If she ended up in the line of fire, he knew she could handle herself. He just did not want to be accountable for another death.

After ten minutes of riding along in silence, Ryuzaki tapped on the glass divider. As the car rolled to a stop, Michiko looked over in confusion. Surely they couldn't have arrived already. Ryuzaki opened the door and looked over his shoulder at her, "I just need to drop off this suit really quick. They charge by the hour, so I wanted to return it tonight." Before he closed the door, Michiko caught a glimpse of a high-end suit and dress shop. If her memory suited her, there was a shop just like this one near Ty and Ana's apartment. '_It must be a popular chain store.'_ Michiko thought, as she pulled out her phone. She thought she could surf the Internet while she waited for Ryuzaki to finish his transaction.

Twenty minutes later, the car door opened and Ryuzaki slid back into the car. His long sleeved, white shirt and blue jeans were back on, which made him look a little more human in Michiko's eyes. "What was the hold up?" Michiko asked. Ryuzaki turned his head to her and shrugged.

"They had some problem locating my clothes. Plus, I had to make another purchase for the upcoming party. I apologize if I worried you." Ryuzaki knocked once on the divider and the car began to roll again. Michiko decided to rest her eyes, since she figured Ryuzaki would wake her up when they got to their final destination.

When she could not feel the vibrations of the car engine, Michi snapped awake. They had finally arrived. As Ryuzaki helped her out of the car, she took a look around her. The area looked eerily familiar, but Michi was too tired to care. All she wanted was to go over the details they had acquired tonight and then go back to her friend's apartment so she could get some well deserved sleep.

Ryuzaki's apartment was just as Michiko thought it would be. To the right of the entrance hallway, the living area was sparsely furnished with a fold out couch and a portable stove. Directly across from the entrance, the kitchen only had a refrigerator, sink, microwave and a small table with two mismatched chairs. Ryuzaki walked through the living area towards what Michi assumed to be the bedroom. Michi was left awkwardly standing in the hallway for a few moments until Ryuzaki called for her. When she parted the curtain divider, her jaw dropped at the sight.

The small room was covered wall to wall with television screens and computer monitors. In front of Michi was the main station; a desk with six computer monitors and one giant television that Ryuzaki used to flip through various surveillance footages. On the other side of the T.V., a blackout curtain had been hung. Judging by the length of the curtains, there had to be a sliding glass door on the other side. _'Wouldn't want the neighbors to complain about monitor glare, would we?' _Michi thought, as she dropped into a chair next to Ryuzaki.

"So, would you care to translate all of that encoded speech for me?" Michiko gratefully accepted the Coke from Ryuzaki, which he had pulled from a small fridge under the desk. After taking a swig of his soda, Ryuzaki swiveled his chair to face Michiko. Even though he was crouched in his chair, he still hovered over Michiko by a couple inches. _'So much for perfect posture. I really should stop hanging around him.' _Michiko thought as she sat up straighter.

"I will try to be as brief as possible, but please save any questions you might have until the end." Here, Michi nodded her consent. Ryuzaki nibbled on his thumbnail and stared off into the distance before continuing. "The fifteen children analogy really threw me for a loop. I can deduce that he is arranging to test the Death Note on either fifteen children or fifteen people in general. The fact that he mentioned they were in school here in Japan, tells me he has already selected his victims and may be holding them hostage as we speak. As to the 'mother' reference, I can surmise that one of two things is true; either there is another higher up that will be coming to Japan soon, or..." Ryuzaki licked his lips, "... they could have gotten their hands on their own Death Note."

Michi choked on her drink. _'Another Death Note? How many of these damn things exist in the world?'_ Ryuzaki raised his eyebrow at the look on Michiko's face.

"Don't look so shocked. It is the Russians after all." Ryuzaki turned towards the television and began flipping through surveillance footage. "Right now, I need to ask you to do any and all research you can on this Volya group and any satellite groups that could be attached to it. We need to figure out the larger enemy behind all of this. That way, we won't be surprised by a larger attack, if it comes." Here, he gestured behind himself towards the kitchen area. "Feel free to raid the refrigerator for ice cream. If you do, though, bring another bowl and spoon." Michiko rolled her eyes at the not so subtle hint and got out of her chair to go to the kitchen. Looking at her watch, she saw it was already 23:30 at night.

_'I'm going to pay for this tomorrow.'_

**Later**

Michiko sat back in her chair and rested another cold soda against her tired eyes. They had been scouring for information for the past five hours and they only had two manila folders worth of information to show for it. While they had been able to find information about Volya and some of its higher ups, sources about the lower ranking officials and satellite groups were very hard to come by. Plus, the heat of the televisions and computers was getting to Michi.

"Hey Ryuzaki? I need to step outside a minute. Is that okay?" When she didn't get an immediate answer, she added, "I'll leave my phone here." Ryuzaki turned his head slowly to look at her. She could have sworn that he had forgotten she was there; by the way he was looking at her. He then shrugged his consent and pointed towards the balcony behind the T.V. Michi walked towards the blackout curtain and pulled it back to reveal a sliding glass door. _'He will probably want to keep an eye on me.'_ Michi left the blackout curtain pulled back as she opened the door and stepped out into the cool night. She had not realized how much she had been sweating until the air hit her skin. The goose bumps were instantaneous and she rubbed her arms to keep from shivering. As she looked around at her surroundings, she couldn't help but notice something peculiar. She looked at the apartment directly across from her. _'That's odd. Those curtains look exactly like...' _Michi's heart stopped when she realized what she was looking at.

_'That's Ty and Ana's apartment!'_

Michi turned around to look back at Ryuzaki, only to find him standing right behind her. Before she could open her mouth, he held up a folder to silence her.

"Before you think I'm stalking you, I can reassure you that this apartment choice was unintentional. If you look at my lease, " he put the folder in Michi's hand, "You will see I acquired this apartment almost a year ago. If I recall rightly, your friends didn't move into their apartment until six months ago." While his assumption about Ty and Ana moving into their apartment was correct, Michi just couldn't believe this was a 'fortunate coincidence'. However, after perusing the paperwork in the folder, Michi had to believe him. The paperwork looked legitimate. As she handed it back, she had to stifle a yawn with her other hand. Ryuzaki tilted his head to the left and pushed his hands into his pants pockets. "I also came out here to let you know you can head back to your friends apartment. We have all we can get for now. I will make a few calls in a little while. Also, don't worry about coming to work on time. I will explain everything to the Chief. Just don't arrive past 12:00. Come straight to my office when you get there." Michi gratefully accepted the offer for her to get some sleep and walked back into the apartment to collect her belongings. Ryuzaki didn't come inside to see her off, so she left of her own accord.

When she let herself into the apartment, she leaned against the door as relief flooded through her. This whole day and evening had been insane. Still, it was the kind of work she had been hoping to get and she was glad for the opportunity. As she flopped onto her bed, her back hit something and that thing gave way under her. She turned on the light to look at what had happened. Michi had unknowingly landed on a cardboard box that had come for her. The crimson box was in a rectangular shape and shuffled softly when Michiko shook it. She cautiously opened it, in case the Russians had seen through her ruse a while ago and had wished to send their displeasure via bombs or such.

What she saw when she opened the box was no such threat. Inside lay a long, dark green dress. With a heart shaped bodice in velvet that flowed down to the floor, it looked like it would be a figure hugging number. The slit up the side also left nothing to the imagination. Under the left breast of the dress was a silver vine that twined across the chest and down the right hip to end in a small silver bouquet of roses just above the slit. No doubt, this was meant to be worn at the so-called birthday in a few days time.

_'But who in the world...'_ Michiko stopped as she remembered the dress shop from earlier that night. _'No. He wouldn't...'_ She turned and looked out her sliding glass window to see Ryuzaki leaning against his balcony looking at her. As he waved and went back inside, Michiko gripped the dress tighter.

_'Unintentional, my ass!'_

**End Ch. 6**


	7. Operation Tango

**I'm so sorry for the massive delay, but life got really busy, really fast. Here is another chapter to celebrate surviving the Mayan Apocalypse. Happy readings!**

**Title**: All is Forgotten, All is Forgiven

**Author**: kathleenrose747

**Pairing**: L (Lawliet, Ryuzaki, Eraldo Coil, Denueve, Hideki Ryuga)/OC

**Rating: **T-M

**Disclaimer**: I have not, nor will I ever own anything relating to the idea, copyright, persons/characters and creation of Death Note. I also don't own any of the sweets mentioned in here. The only thing I own is Michiko Nakashima, a character of my own creation. I also do not own 'Tango to Evora' which is owned by the lovely Loreena McKennitt. Nor do I own 'Veil of Elphame' which was written by Gary Stadler.

**Authors Note**: I do use some of L's other aliases in the story. If you get confused, go to the Death Note Wiki or just look up L on Wikipedia to get a background on his aliases. I won't go into too much background with those names and their uses. Also, L is 29 years old in this story. So yes, we can consider it AU. Please review with constructive criticism. I would also like unadulterated praise, if it is available. :)

Chapter 7: Operation Tango

Michiko's phone woke her up with a shrill ring. As she slowly assessed her surroundings, she groaned as the lack of sleep slammed her between the eyes. Ty or Ana had opened the curtains before they had left and the sunlight streamed through the window into Michi's eyes. She groped wildly for her phone in order to turn off what she thought was the alarm. Instead she hit the 'Answer' button that had popped up on the screen. She pulled the phone to her ear without checking who the caller was and buried her head under the pillow to block out the light. "Hello?"

"Just letting you know it's 11:30." The caller hung up before Michi could yell at them for rousing her from her comforting sleep. When she hung up, she noticed who the offender had been. '_Damn it Ryuzaki. I don't get paid enough for this shit. I need more sleep.' _ Michi sat up and assessed what she was going to wear for the day. She settled on all black attire that consisted of loosely flowing pants, a long sleeve, v-neck shirt and black tennis shoes. If Ryuzaki or anyone else were brave enough to comment about her choice of attire, they were going to get hell. Michi was not in the mood to defend her wardrobe choices. She pulled her hair into a high ponytail and walked to the bathroom. At the very least, she had to wash her face of all the makeup from the night before. When she saw the black circles around her eyes and the red marks around her lips, she cursed herself for not having the wherewithal to have removed her makeup the night before.

Michi quickly cleaned off the offending makeup and put on a light dusting of face powder, rimmed her eyes with chocolate eyeliner and slapped on a little pink lip- gloss. Since she didn't have time to get a shower, she dabbed her favorite rose scented perfume onto the inside of her elbows and on her neck. She then grabbed her purse and threw in her wallet, keys, a book and her gun before running to catch her train. As she stumbled onto the Yamanote line, she wondered how she looked to her fellow train riders. As she glanced around, she noted with horror that she recognized some of the women from the night before. _'As if this day couldn't get any worse.'_ Michi settled into her seat and pulled the book out of her bag to distract herself and to hide her face from the other women. As she read, she ran through everything that had happened the night before. Most of it was fuzzy, but what she could remember was that Ryuzaki had been very protective of her, almost overly so. Not to mention that his attack on her neck had left a raised bruise that would take a couple days to heal. Michi wondered if she was jumping head first into a highly dangerous situation. Also, the fact that Ryuzaki had revealed himself to be the contact named Denueve really troubled Michi. _'I just hope he was borrowing that name because Andrei had brought it up.'_ Michi tried to reassure herself as she got off at her stop. She looked at her watch and cursed herself for not getting up earlier. She only had five minutes to get to Ryuzaki's office. That ruled out the option of getting a chai latte before work.

As Michi walked through the metal detector, the alarm sounded loudly. Michi swiftly berated herself for not taking the gun out of her bag before walking through. Before she could apologize to the security officer, he waved her on through. '_Ryuzaki must have warned them ahead of time.'_ Michi thought as she rushed to the elevator. As she stepped on, she looked up and saw the Chief looking her up and down with a puzzled look on his face. _'Damn it!'_

"Is it your day off today, Nakashima-san?" The Chief adjusted his glasses as he appraised Michiko's outfit.

"I was told that I should dress comfortably for surveillance work that needs to get done today." Michi prayed that the Chief wouldn't ask any more questions that needed more lies. When the Chief nodded and turned back to the folder he had been reading, Michi let out a quiet sigh of relief. The Chief got off at the fifth floor and turned back to Michiko.

"When you get the chance, I have a letter for you. The person was very insistent it got into your hands only. Just drop by my office before you leave today." Michiko nodded her consent as the doors closed. She got out her key card and swiped it through the reader. Upon arriving at the necessary floor, she walked swiftly towards the door. Before she could knock, Ryuzaki opened the door.

"Just in time. Come in." As he walked back to the desk, Michi looked around behind her for whatever surveillance camera had given away her arrival. When she did not see the offending camera, she turned and walked into the room. After closing the door behind her, she looked around for her chair. When she didn't see a chair for her, she looked over at Ryuzaki. He looked up from the folder her was reading and ushered her towards the desk. When she got there, she saw her papasan chair on the other side of the desk. _'Great. So I have to sit next to him again.'_ Michi sighed and walked behind the desk, placing her bag next to the chair. As she struggled to get comfortable in the chair, she saw a small smile on Ryuzaki's face. He was watching her out of the corner of his eye.

"I dare you to try and sit in this thing comfortably." Michi retorted. When she tried to pull her left leg into the chair in order to sit cross-legged, she pulled back too quickly and the chair began to fall backwards dangerously. She closed her eyes tightly and braced for impact with the floor. The chair jerked suddenly and Michi felt that she wasn't falling anymore. As she slowly opened her eyes, she looked up to see Ryuzaki's face only inches away from hers. He had somehow gotten out of his chair and grabbed hold of the sides of her chair before she could hit the floor. _'Damn. Talk about quick reflexes.' _As she looked into his eyes, Michi noticed that he was not in any hurry to put her chair upright. Her sense of smell and hearing heightened as Ryuzaki's scent and the sound of his heartbeat assaulted her. Her nerves felt raw and electric. As they continued to stare at each other, Michi's heart began to race. _'I don't feel like I'm in danger. What the hell is going on?'_ Her brain screamed at her that she needed to breathe and she took in a few soft, shuddering breaths to shut up her internal monologue. Her eyes left Ryuzaki's gaze for a split second as her attention turned to his lips. She briefly wondered if he tasted like all of those sweets he constantly ate in her presence. When she realized what she was contemplating of doing, her brain snapped to attention and she silently screamed at herself to not have thoughts of that nature around (or about) her boss. After another tense moment, Michi cleared her throat, effectively breaking the spell. Ryuzaki blinked and then pulled her chair upright.

"It's all about balance." he remarked before sitting back in his chair. Michi rolled her eyes before turning to the folder Ryuzaki had been reading when she arrived. To her shock, she saw a picture of herself staring back at her. It was a picture from when she had worked with the Chicago Police. They had been required to pose for portrait photos, which would be used for media releases, should anything happen to them on the job. Why Ryuzaki had her personal file confused her at best and terrified her at worst. When he saw the panic on her face he closed the file and turned towards her. "Don't worry so much. I just needed to check on your track record with the police force. It seems you did quite a bit to help crack down on drug crime."

Michi licked her lips. "Yeah. I worked with the drug task force and youth counseling sector while I was in Chicago. But I think you know that already." She looked around at the computer monitors. She had to look at anything other than Ryuzaki. Her heart was still trying to calm down and, for some reason, looking at him just set her pulse racing again. _'Stop it, Michi! There is nothing there. For crying out loud, this is the same guy in the taxi that creeped you out when you arrived. And, for all you know, he could be helping the enemy. You're smarter than your emotions, so calm the fuck down!'_ Michi took a deep breath and looked back at Ryuzaki. He had his head tilted and was looking at her inquisitively.

"Are you okay?" Michi nodded. "Good. Here, I think you might need this before we continue." He reached behind the monitor and pulled out a cold chai latte and a turkey sandwich. Before Michi could thank him, he put his hand up. "I figured since you slept in so late you wouldn't have gotten food beforehand. It won't be a very rigorous day today, but I need you to be on your toes." Ryuzaki looked at his cell phone on the desk and nodded. "You have half an hour to eat. We're going to be getting a call from one of my contacts in Russia at one. Provided he's in the office on time." Michi nodded and dug into her sandwich as Ryuzaki typed away on the computer.

As they fell into a comfortable silence, Michi slipped into what she called an "attentive meditative state". She was still fully aware of her surroundings, but she allowed her body to relax and let her mind wander. Any thoughts that came in left just as quickly as she focused only on slowing her breathing and relaxing any tension in her body. After a couple minutes went by, Michi felt she was calm enough to continue the job at hand and opened her eyes. As she reached for her drink, she felt Ryuzaki's gaze on her. She then sat back with her drink and tilted her head, silently inviting him to speak.

"I wasn't aware you knew how to meditate." Ryuzaki stated, softly.

Michi nodded as she put her tea on the table. "I was going through a lot in my life at the time. My counselor saw how stressed I was and invited me to join a student meditation group that she led. Now, whenever I feel stressed, I just use those techniques without even thinking. It's helped me keep my cool in a lot of situations." Ryuzaki nodded. He was about to ask something else when the phone suddenly rang. Michi's body immediately tensed up and her brain went into translation mode. Ryuzaki nodded at her and pressed the speaker button on the phone.

"Good morning, Terrence." Ryuzaki smiled into the speaker so that his voice sounded pleasant. "Rough night?" Michi promptly translated for him.

"Ugh... afternoon Mr. Coil. And, yeah, you could say that." The man on the other end of the phone sounded worse than Michi felt. Vodka was the likely culprit. The man began to speak again, "Did you get a new translator? I don't remember if the last one knew Russian."

"Yes, this is my new translator. Forgive me if I do not divulge her name. I want to make sure she stays safe from all of this." Michiko looked over at Ryuzaki as she translated. _There's that protective nature again._ Terrence laughed at Ryuzaki's response.

"Don't worry, Mr. Coil. She'll be safe. So, what information are you looking for?"

"I have to keep this really brief, so I'm just going to just give you the highlights and you give me what information you can."

"Yes, sir."

"Does Obarin have a Death Note in his possession?" Michiko leaned closer to the phone. Her nerves were on fire waiting for the answer.

"We can't confirm or deny that yet. We think he either has one, or is in the process of trying to create one himself."

"Have there been any unexplained deaths or disappearances in the past two weeks?"

"Just your standard teenage runaways."

Ryuzaki frowned. That wasn't the answer he had been hoping for. "Well, that was all I had to check on. I know you're busy."

"Thank you, Mr. Coil. I hope that helped somewhat. Until next time." There was a click and then the dial tone. As Ryuzaki sat there in silent contemplation, Michi nervously sipped at her chai latte. She then quietly reached into her bag and pulled out her book. She had learned early on not to disturb Ryuzaki when he was deep in thought. As she read, she wondered why Ryuzaki had only asked two questions. It looked like the statement about the runaways had really disturbed him. _Does that mean that there is more trouble in Japan than there is in Russia?_ Michi hoped that wasn't the case and read her book as a way to distract her mind.

After an hour and change had passed, Michi saw movement out of the corner of her eye and looked over. She saw Ryuzaki offering her a dark chocolate Kit-Kat and a weary smile.

"So. What do you know about dancing?"

Michiko was still trying to comprehend how she had ended up here. Only a few days ago, she had accepted a job offer as a respected translator for the National Police Agency. Now, she was looking at potentially dancing with her boss. How did she let this happen?

_'I let him talk me into it.' _Michi shook her head as she and Ryuzaki walked out of the elevator. The seventeenth floor of the building was comprised of various workout rooms that fellow police officers used to keep in shape. As she followed Ryuzaki down the hall, Michi took a moment to get a good look at her surroundings. Some rooms contained cardio equipment such as treadmills, elliptical machines and the like. Another room was set up with boxing bags and a make shift ring for sparring practice. There was even a good-sized racquetball court. Michi briefly marveled at the police department's ability to spring for such a top-notch workout facility. She then noticed that Ryuzaki had disappeared. She turned around and saw an open door to her left.

She poked her head in and saw Ryuzaki at the far end of the room, fiddling with a CD player. Between the two of them was an expanse of dark mahogany flooring. The walls were decorated with a beautiful cream wallpaper which was imprinted with silver bamboo that seemed to jump off the walls with a three dimensional effect. A waist high rail followed three walls, which told Michi that some of her colleagues must use ballet stretches to keep themselves limber. Four wall lamps cast the room in a comforting, warm light. Michi noted the dimmer switch to her left, which could brighten the room, if needed. What truly impressed her, though, was the mirror. The ceiling and right wall connected in what looked to the naked eye like a single pane of glass. Michiko knew better, but the effect still took her breath away.

"Since I don't know how long it has been since you were last on a dance floor, you might wish to warm up first." Michi jumped as Ryuzaki spoke up from across the room. She had almost forgotten he was there. She nodded and rummaged through her bag for her iPod. As she walked across the floor, his words penetrated her brain and she looked up at him.

"How did you know I used to dance?" Ryuzaki shrugged as he stepped back from the CD player.

"A few of my former associates used to dance and I've noticed they walk with more purpose than the average person. You have a dancer's walk. I would say ballet, but I know that is generalizing it too much." Michi nodded.

"Yeah, that is over generalizing it." She flipped through her iPod looking for an appropriate song to warm up to. "I tried ballet, but I was never that graceful. So, I took up jazz when I was eight and picked up hip-hop in middle school. It's more to my tastes, anyways." Michi settled on a slow piano and vocal piece titled 'Veil of Elphame'. She wanted to take her time so that she could thoroughly stretch both her body and mind.

After a few minutes, she was warmed up and calmed down enough that she could handle whatever Ryuzaki had to throw at her. Hopefully. She looked over at him and saw that he was flipping through her music collection. He caught her glance and pointed at the iPod. "What would you recommend for a tango?"

"Probably 'Tango to Evora' by Loreena McKennitt. There are no words to worry about and the music itself is easy to dance to." Ryuzaki nodded and continued looking for the song. Michi, on the other hand, began to panic. _'What the hell? A tango? I thought it would be something with more space between us. damndamndamndamn!' _ Her curses were cut short as Ryuzaki walked up to her.

"Have you done any partner dancing before?" Ryuzaki tilted his head, observing the panic that Michi was trying so hard to squelch. If there was one thing he had learned in his twenty-nine years, it was that people's eyes never lied. And Michi's eyes were screaming discomfort at the mere mention of dancing with him. But why?

"I'm more experienced with the waltz. Though, I did take a basic tango class when I was in college to fulfill my health requirement." Michi chuckled at the memory. "We had more females than males in that class, so I volunteered to learn both the lead and the follow parts."

"Well, I can only hope that class was taken not too long ago. I don't think we can both afford to trip over ourselves. It would give too much away." Ryuzaki stretched his back before offering his left hand to Michi. She looked at the hand and tensed up internally. She didn't want to fall back on base emotions again. Michi closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm her self. _'It's just for work. Don't read more into it than there really is.' _She then placed her right hand into Ryuzaki's hand and let him pull her closer to him. As her body adjusted to the shape of its new partner, Michi had to fight back the emotional maelstrom that welled up inside her. Unfortunately for her, their bodies fit perfectly together. It was almost as if the Universe was issuing a direct challenge to both of them: 'I dare you to try and resist each other now.'

Michi shook her head and glanced at Ryuzaki. He looked as if he was running through steps in his mind. As soon as she noticed it, she felt a light pressure on her lower back and in her right hand, which signaled her to start moving backwards. Both partners were rusty in the beginning and many signals got crossed which ended up with their bodies falling all over each other. After many false starts and several musical changes, they got used to each other's movements and the dance became much more fluid and seductive. During on particular cadena, Michi looked up at Ryuzaki's eyes. She was startled to notice that his eyes were not as black as she had previously believed. Rather, they were a beautiful dark grey. Yes, the sleep deprivation set off the bloodshot quality of the whites of the eyes. But the grey was unmistakable.

As the song ended, Ryuzaki let go of Michi's hand and allowed her to step back. "Well, I can say we will not have to worry once the party comes around. You may go on home, if you wish." He shuffled towards the door and threw a parting wave over his shoulder before disappearing around the corner. Michi walked to the CD player and removed her iPod before turning off the equipment. She then walked to the door and turned off the lights, taking her time as she walked to the elevator. She then remembered that the Chief had stated that he had a letter for her in his office. She looked at her watch and was startled to notice that it was already 16:25. Time had certainly flown by while she had been dancing with Ryuzaki.

Michi arrived at the fifth floor and turned left to walk towards the Chief's office. The door stood propped open and Michi rapped lightly upon it as she stuck her head in. A woman looked up from her desk and smiled at Michi.

"Chief Itou is out of the office at the moment. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Yes. I was told I had a letter waiting for me here. The name is Nakashima, Michiko."

"Ah yes. He told me you would be by to get it." The woman rustled through some papers and procured a small envelope. She then walked around the desk and held out the letter with both hands. Michi accepted the letter with both of her hands and bowed slightly to the woman. The woman returned the gesture, smiled, and then walked back to her place behind the desk.

As Michi walked back to the elevator, she pulled open the flap of the plain white envelope. Inside was one sheet of paper, folded in half. Michi pulled the paper from it's housing, flipped it open and read the contents. She then stopped in her tracks and looked over the paper again and again. _'Is this some sick joke?'_ Nonetheless, Michi lengthened her stride and took the stairs instead of the elevator. She could not risk being late for what could be her most important meeting, to date.

_The man you are working for is not telling you the whole story. If you wish to know more, meet me at Tama Cemetery before 17:30. I will not be waiting long._


	8. Beauty or Truth

**This one took forever and my editing tendencies took over for far too long. I hope it was worth it. Over eight pages of story. Enjoy!**

**Title**: All is Forgotten, All is Forgiven

**Author**: kathleenrose747

**Pairing**: L (Lawliet, Ryuzaki, Eraldo Coil, Denueve, Hideki Ryuga)/OC

**Rating: **T-M

**Disclaimer**: I have not, nor will I ever own anything relating to the idea, copyright, persons/characters and creation of Death Note. I also don't own any of the sweets mentioned in here. The only thing I own is Michiko Nakashima, a character of my own creation. I also do not own '

**Authors Note**: I do use some of L's other aliases in the story. If you get confused, go to the Death Note Wiki or just look up L on Wikipedia to get a background on his aliases. I won't go into too much background with those names and their uses. Also, L is 29 years old in this story. So yes, we can consider it AU. Please review with constructive criticism. I would also like unadulterated praise, if it is available. :)

**Another Note (And SPOILERS if you have not finished the series):** Mello is very much alive in this. I need his character in order to play off Near, so I'm going with the idea that Mello switched out the Death Note page that Takada tried to use to kill him. Yes, I know that happened a year later than this story takes place in, but I'm pretending the Kira Death Note arc was solved faster than it really was. Onward!

Chapter 8: Beauty or Truth

Michiko walked tentatively through the cemetery. She always felt like the dead were watching her every move whenever she walked in their domain. Hence, why she had never visited her grandparents graves back in America. She felt that replaying the memories they had given her was a better way to honor them than by visiting a gravesite.

The gravestones burned in the orange light of the sunset, giving them a Halloween eeriness that did nothing to alleviate Michi's frazzled nerves. She looked around nervously for the person that could have sent her that note. Various people wandered aimlessly between the gravestones, many of whom looked like they were searching for a reason to be mingling with the dead. _'Only death makes the living feel like they still have some control over their current situation.'_ Michi smiled as the thought entered her mind. Considering her past, that statement certainly made sense.

She then felt a prickling sensation on her neck. She turned to her left and saw a lone figure standing by a gravestone. There was a tree growing to the left of the grave, which cast its shadowy fingers over the silver cross and its visitor. As Michi walked towards the person, she could not help but feel a knot in her stomach. She only hoped that she didn't throw up the remains of her turkey sandwich over the deceased's final resting place. Michi stopped next to the person and looked at the unmarked cross in front of her. She wondered why there was no name, or for that matter, why it was a silver cross as opposed to a simple stone cross. Hopefully the mystery person would clear up her apprehension. _'That is, if this __is__ my contact and not some person trying to grieve for their loved one.'_ Michi's thought was interrupted as the person began to speak.

"What do you know about the man you are working for?" The man turned to face Michi. Behind the man's lack of sleep and obvious worry lines, Michi had to admit that he looked very young.

"There isn't much I can say. I have only been working with him for close to a month. But more importantly, who are you and what information do you have that connects us to this graveyard?" The man chuckled at Michi's deduction and tipped his head towards her in admiration.

"If the man is who I think he is, I am sure he is very proud of your reasoning ability." He then turned and looked back at the grave. "I have a lot of things to tell you. Much of it will be very unbelievable, but I trust you not to interrupt until I am finished with my tale. If you do that, most of the situation will become clear to you." Michi looked at the man out of the corner of her eye. Seeing no visible threat in the man's stance, she shrugged and turned her sight back on the cross. She heard a rustling next to her and felt something tap her right arm. She looked over and saw that the man was handing her two manila folders. She accepted the folders and the man adjusted his jacket around him before continuing.

"My name is Matsui Taro. I worked on the first known Death Note case here in Japan. Which eventually turned into a double Death Note case very quickly. As a result, over ninety percent of the original team either died or disappeared. This gravesite, for example," he motioned towards the cross with his left hand, "contains one of our greatest members. I daresay he was our greatest leader when it came to catching the owner of the Death Note. The owner of that particular Death Note went on a justified killing spree and the public began calling him Kira." Michiko started. She remembered hearing Ana talk about that case when they were in college. It was the very mention of that case that had set Michi on her path of International Law. "As part of that case," Matsui continued, "We lost one of the greatest detectives that the world has ever known. But recent events have surfaced that lead me to believe that he did not die on that day. I saw him die, yes, but whether he is truly dead can be left open for speculation." He then tapped on the envelopes that Michi clutched in her hands. "I will leave it up to you to decide whether or not you trust your boss. Illusions may be beautiful to start with, but the truth can turn ugly once you see beyond illusions pretty mask. You have to decide if you want to live with Truth or Beauty running your house." With that, Matsui turned up the collar of his jacket, saluted the grave, and walked away from Michi.

As she stood shivering in the cold twilight, she couldn't help but mull over what Matsui had implied. _'Is Ryuzaki lying to me? Well, of course he is. He's using all of these different aliases. So, of course he wouldn't tell me everything. But how much of that information is he keeping from me to keep me safe?'_ Michi then tucked the envelopes under her arms and turned towards the grave. _'World's greatest detective, huh?_ _Wish I could have met the person.'_ She then turned in the opposite direction that Matsui had walked off in and began her long trek back to the train station.

While she sat on the train, she decided that the car was empty enough for her to flip through the contents of the manila folders. The smaller one only held a few pieces of paper. What it contained was a detailed outline of all the main events that had occurred, concerning the Kira case eight years ago. The people involved and their ages had been included as a way of keeping track of events. According to this, the leader of the investigation (only identified by the letter L) was killed in November of 2007. Seeing as it was 2012 now, the man would have been twenty-nine now, had he survived. _'That is about the age I would guess Ryuzaki to be.'_ But that idea was absurd. There was no way in hell that Ryuzaki would be this L character.

The second envelope was much thicker and contained various pieces of information, which Michi could not see an immediate connection to. _'Wammy's House? N? Investigative reports? What is all of this stuff?'_ Michi stuffed the papers back in the envelope. She had plenty of time to go over this at a later time. Not that she wanted to go back to Ty and Ana's. She desperately wished that she had a place to call her own. And then it hit her. She did have a place to run to. Not her most ideal place, but it was a place she felt safe. She pulled out her phone and pressed one on the dial pad, waiting for someone to pick up on the other end.

**Elsewhere**

Once he had hung up the phone, he leaned forward in his chair and stared at the monitor. It wasn't that Lawliet didn't want Michi to come over. It was simply that he always felt cornered when she was in close proximity to him. Even knowing that she slept across the complex from him was enough to keep his frayed nerves awake. He couldn't pinpoint what it was about her, but that dance they had shared had proven to him that he was still very capable of potentially falling in love with his assistant.

_'And therein lies the problem.'_ If Lawliet fell in love with Michi, his reasoning levels would drop at least thirty percent, his sitting position notwithstanding. She would always be on his mind, distracting him from tasks at hand. He squinted at the monitor as he tracked her progress on the train. One corner of the main screen had a picture from the train security camera while his phone tracked her phone's location with a GPS map. _'It isn't like my protective nature has been doing a good job of hiding.'_ Ever since Watari's death, Lawliet had been very cautious of letting anyone close to him. Watari had been a friend, mentor, and father figure to Lawliet. Granted, much of those roles had been put in place to groom Lawliet for his role as the ever-present L. However, L's people were doing a good job of covering his absence. He smiled at the thought. Poor Near. Lawliet had stayed away from Wammy's House for five years since his 'death' in 2007. Yes, Near knew the truth, but it hurt Lawliet that the boy hadn't had anyone to look up to for the past few years. Not that Mello was much of anyone to look up to. Still, both of the young men were remarkable in their own rights.

Lawliet stretched in his chair and got up. The GPS signal was getting louder, which meant Michi would be here soon. As he rubbed his feet together, he noticed how chilled they were. They were in the middle of September, so the cold snap wasn't too much of a surprise. It only meant the heralding of a potential typhoon. He decided to turn on the heat, only to remember that the landlord had left a message saying that they had to do some repairs on the heating vents in preparation of the coming rains. _'Well that is highly inconvenient.' _Lawliet sighed and walked towards the living area. He then pushed his couch aside to reveal a gas fireplace. He had never seen a need for it and it tended to distract him, so he had had it covered with the couch. After shuffling to the kitchen for some matches, he had a decent fire that warmed the room quickly. He then pushed the couch so that it rested against the wall opposite of the fire. This way, if Michi got hungry in the middle of the night, her movements would not distract him from the other room. _'There. That arrangement is at least eighty five percent efficient.'_

Lawliet then walked to the kitchen and grabbed an instant ramen to heat up. He also brewed up a fresh batch of coffee and checked his sugar cube supply. It was going to be a very long night. And not simply because he still had a lot of work left on the Volya case. Lawliet hung his head as a brief wave of guilt washed over him. _'I could really use your advice right now, Watari. I'm so lost when it comes to the meaning of being human. You always pushed me outside my comfort zone when it came to social human interactions. I could really use that push right now.'_ He smiled as he briefly remembered how much Watari had to push Lawliet to simply ask a girl within Wammy's house out on a date. Nothing in Lawliet's life had ever terrified him more than dealing with emotions outside of logic and reason. It still terrified him to this day.

**Meanwhile**

Michiko stumbled from the train and walked the five blocks towards her friend's apartment complex. She briefly wondered if her idea to stay at Ryuzaki's was really a good idea. But she reminded herself of the real reason why she was going there. To get answers. Michi had learned at a very young age that deception was the name of the game when it came to law and espionage. However, this was a man whom she was trusting with her very life. If she could not fully trust him, then how realistic would their charade be to those around them? Besides, she was supposed to be a simpering prostitute that had fallen head over heels in love with her client. She couldn't fake those feeling if she tried. Hence, she wanted to get to know the real man behind the mask and find some little tidbit of information that she could build her infatuation upon. _'Infatuation? I don't see anything the least bit appealing in this man at all. Why am I so worried about what feelings that I will never have?'_ Michi shook her head clear as she reached the door. _'Business as usual, Michi. Nothing more.'_ She rapped lightly on the door, trying to calm her racing heart.

Ryuzaki opened the door and motioned for Michi to come inside. She quickly noticed that the room was comfortably warm and that there was a fire roaring on the far side of the living area to her right side. All of the lights were off, except for the glow of the fireplace and the synthetic lights of the computer and television monitors behind the room divider.

"I don't remember there being a fireplace in your apartment." Michi placed the folders on a side table and shrugged off her coat to hang it on a peg next to the door. Ryuzaki paused on his way to the kitchen and spoke over his shoulder.

"You wouldn't have noticed it. I never have a use for it, so I just hid it behind the couch. But seeing as the central heat is being repaired for a potential typhoon, I felt the fireplace would be necessary." Ryuzaki continued his walk towards the kitchen and stood by the stove. "I know you tend to prefer tea over coffee. All I have are green tea and peach tea, in case any visitors prefer something sweeter."

"The peach tea sounds great." Ryuzaki nodded and poured hot water into a black and white checkered mug. He then grabbed a tea canister off of the top of the refrigerator and shook in some loose tea. He then shuffled back towards Michi and handed her the cup. She took it and sniffed the tea. It had a very rich scent. Certainly, there was peach in there. But it seemed to be masking another flavor behind it. She blew on the contents and took a small sip. Her eyes widened in surprise as the flavors erupted in her mouth. She tilted her head and looked at Ryuzaki inquisitively. "Is that rose I taste in the background?"

Ryuzaki smiled. "Yes, as a matter of fact. The tea was a gift from the Prime Minister of Turkey for solving a particularly difficult case. Mass murder type of thing." Michi returned the forced smile and walked towards the living area. Ryuzaki looked over at the folders that Michi had brought in. _'I didn't see her with any folders when she left. Then again, she had turned off her phone when she got off the train in Koganei. Who was she meeting there?' _Ryuzaki picked up the folders and followed Michi into the other room. As he turned the corner, he took a moment to memorize the scene before him (solely for investigative purposes, he kept telling himself). Michi sat curled up at the far left end of the dark green leather couch. The firelight bounced off of the natural red highlights in her hair, turning her hair into the color of variegated redwood. She turned and looked at him as she raised the mug of tea to her lips. The firelight pushed the green in her hazel eyes back, only to emphasize the gold flecks around her irises. The firelight, coupled with her reddish hair and golden eyes had changed her appearance into that of a mythical tigress. However, it was the fact that she was all woman that made Ryuzaki forcibly swallow his nervousness. He then walked over and held out the folders towards Michi.

"Oh, thank you. I forgot about those." Michi accepted the folders and placed them on the armrest. Ryuzaki then walked to the other end of the couch and sat in a crouched position, staring into the fire. After a few moments of silence, Michi spoke. "If I ask you a question that could potentially get me killed, what is the probability of that occurring?" Ryuzaki tilted his head and stuck the end of his thumb in his mouth, seriously considering the ramifications of Michi's question.

"Well, if we factor in your usefulness which extend to your translation skills, your social graces, and similar mental capacity to my own, I would say, depending on the severity of your question, you could look at a thirty-five to one hundred percent chance of death." Ryuzaki shrugged and looked Michi in the eye. "But that has to take the seriousness and national security portion of your question into account, if so needed."

Michi nodded and became intently fascinated with the inside of the mug she was holding. _'Well, now is as good a time as any.'_ She took in a deep breath and blurted out what she had been holding in since she had walked into his apartment. "Do you know anything about someone called L?"

Ryuzaki froze. He had not heard that name in a long time. Yes, he was still associated with that title, but most if not all of his former contacts assumed he had died in the original Kira case. It would be risky as all hell to open up that can of worms again. _'However, there could be some uses in bringing L back to life.'_ Ryuzaki closed his eyes. Now he knew why Michi had brought up the life or death question. Knowing who he really was would throw her into a maelstrom of trust issues. Not to mention, she would never be able to go back to the life she was so used to ever again. _'In the end, it will be her choice. If she wants to know the information, she should be willing to accept the consequences.'_ Ryuzaki turned his body and looked straight at Michi. "What I am about to tell you will come with serious repercussions. This information is beyond your level of security clearance and if you insist on opening that door, you are then saying that you are willing to walk away from the life you know. I am going to give you a chance to back out."

Michi took a deep breath. "I was thinking about that while I was on the train. My family knows that they will not be able to contact me, for their own protection. I have made sure that there will be plenty of money to take care of them should anything happen. I have never planned on having kids or being in a long-term relationship. My life is dedicated to the law." Here, she looked Ryuzaki in the eye. "I also vowed to be honest in my work with law enforcement. I will lie to find the truth. But, in the end, Truth runs my house. So, yes, I fully accept the consequences." Ryuzaki nodded. He then stood up and walked into the computer room. He came back with a nondescript black laptop. He set it down between himself and Michi and took up his original sitting position. He then flipped open the laptop and fired it up, pulling up a protected video chat service in the process. He looked over at Michi, giving her one final chance to change her mind. But the stubborn woman just quietly stared at him, almost daring him to go back on his end of the promise.

He quietly typed a series of codes into the chat system and then pressed ENTER. A computerized ringing noise rang through the apartment and he placed the computer between them again. Michi wondered if he was placing a video call to the very man she was asking about. _'Then again, why wouldn't he just tell me that he knows this person?' _All of a sudden, the ringing stopped and an elaborate looking letter N appeared on the screen.

"Well, hello, L. It's been a long time."

_'What the hell?!'_ Michi's mind froze. _'Please tell me this is another elaborate double cross. Or a bad dream. Or a very bad fall down the rabbit hole.'_ She turned and looked at Ryuzaki.

No. She was now looking at L. His name had been whispered throughout the Chicago police department, but she had brushed it off as an Interpol agent with an inflated ego.

But this man was beyond Interpol. He was beyond the common mans law.

"Hello Near. Long time." L stuck the end of his thumb in his mouth as he spoke.

"It has been a long time. I must admit, I did buy into your death when Roger told Mello and I. But after Light Yagami's death, I was contacted a few months afterward by another L. I knew there were no other known successors beyond A and B, so I gave it a thirty percent chance that that was you calling me." L nodded at the deduction. "Nevertheless, forgive me if I ask you something that only the real L would have known."

"Proceed."

"What is your full name? Mind you, I only have access to it because I work in the records office now." L looked over at Michi, her wide eyes telling him that she was unwilling to believe what she was hearing.

"It's L Lawliet."

"Indeed. That just raised the probability to seventy-three percent. There are possible methods by which you could have accessed that name, so I will have to ask you to come to the safe house and meet with me so I can identify you visually. Forgive me if I do not trust technology to do it properly."

"It's understandable to be paranoid. It's been, what, five years since our last talk?"

"Approximately, yes. If you can get to this location by nine tomorrow, that will raise the probability to ninety percent. It isn't until I see you in person that I will fully believe you are who you claim to be. I have almost been tricked before."

"Of course. And forgive me if I bring my assistant along."

"Assistant? Are they listening in on this?"

"Yes, she is." L looked at Michi with a small smile.

"She, eh? I'll make sure Mello gets a dose of sedatives before he meets her. I know he can be... intimidating at times."

"Thank you, Near. I look forward to seeing you again."

"And I, you. Until we meet tomorrow." Near then closed out the connection and L closed the laptop. He stood up, hunched over, and shuffled to the fireplace. He turned down the fire and then walked into the computer room. After entering the room, he turned left and opened a small closet door and pulled out a blanket and pillow before shutting the door. He walked back into the living space and placed the blanket and pillow on the floor at Michi's feet. He remained crouched as he looked up at her.

Michi was stunned. Her boss. Her freaking BOSS, was the top detective in the world. When the whispers of L's death had come to Chicago, everyone shrugged it off as an internet hoax. Michi had never had time to wonder about this elusive man. And now she was working with him. As she watched him stand up and walk to the kitchen, she briefly contemplated running out of the apartment. _'No. I have to stay around. I have to see this through.'_ She blinked and took a shuddering breath. Suddenly, her black and white cup was lowered into her line of vision. She looked up at L and accepted the cup, not breaking eye contact. He scratched the back of his head and nodded towards the cup of tea.

"I did put a mild sedative in there. I know this whole day has been pretty heavy and I want you to be alert for tomorrow's meeting with Near. Everything will be explained then." Michi nodded and downed the tea in two gulps. She placed the cup on the ground and picked up the blanket and pillow. She settled in as L stood over her, making sure she was comfortable and that the sedatives would run their course. As Michi looked up at him with sleepy eyes, he felt his heart skip a beat. _'Probably all that sugar.'_ L then walked towards the computer room. He opened the curtain so that he could keep an eye on Michi through the reflective glass.

As his gaze flicked from the computer screen to the glass door, L briefly wondered if he could be falling for his assistant.

_'No. That isn't possible. I'm not capable of those kinds of feelings.' _L closed his eyes. _'I can't get attached. Not again.'_


	9. Coming Home

**Title**: All is Forgotten, All is Forgiven

**Author**: kathleenrose747

**Pairing**: L (Lawliet, Ryuzaki, Eraldo Coil, Denueve, Hideki Ryuga)/OC

**Rating: **T-M

**Disclaimer**: I have not, nor will I ever own anything relating to the idea, copyright, persons/characters and creation of Death Note. I also don't own any of the sweets mentioned in here. The only thing I own is Michiko Nakashima, a character of my own creation. I also do not own the song 'Never Thought (That I Could Love)' by Dan Hill.

**Authors Note**: I do use some of L's other aliases in the story. If you get confused, go to the Death Note Wiki or just look up L on Wikipedia to get a background on his aliases. I won't go into too much background with those names and their uses. Also, L is 29 years old in this story. So yes, we can consider it AU. Please review with constructive criticism. I would also like unadulterated praise, if it is available. :)

**Another Note (And SPOILERS if you have not finished the series):** Mello is very much alive in this. I need his character in order to play off Near, so I'm going with the idea that Mello switched out the Death Note page that Takada tried to use to kill him. Yes, I know that happened a year later than this story takes place in, but I'm pretending the Kira Death Note arc was solved faster than it really was. Onward!

Chapter 9: Coming Home

Michi woke up and quickly assessed her situation. She was breathing, she could smell coffee brewing and she could hear someone talking on a telephone. As she became more aware of her faculties, she noticed that the voice was switching between French and Japanese. _'What the hell? Am I still dreaming?' _She rolled onto her back and sat up. She looked around her and saw Ryuzaki leaning against the doorjamb leading to the kitchen. He was pinching two cell phones between his thumbs and forefingers and relaying information between two different people. _'Wait... it's not Ryuzaki anymore. It's L. Or Lawliet. Or whatever the hell he decides to change his name to today."_ Michi cradled her head in her hands as she tried to wrap her brain around the complicated situation.

Lawliet looked over his shoulder at Michi. She was clearly displaying feelings of distress. He quickly ended his two-way conversation and pocketed the phones. He then walked into the kitchen and filled two cups with fresh black coffee. He juggled the cups, a carton of milk, and a full canister of sugar as he walked back into the living room. Michi was in the same position he had last seen her in. He couldn't help but feel some guilt over her current emotional state. He placed the items on the floor and crouched so that Michi's profile was level with him. He cleared his throat to get her attention. She slowly turned to look at him. Her eyes were glazed over and it took her quite some time to focus on Lawliet. His heart twanged again because he knew that his actions were the direct cause of Michi's distrust.

"I figured some coffee would help wake you up. I don't know if you do milk or sugar, so I brought both." Michi nodded and silently picked up a cup of coffee. She then reached into the sugar canister and dropped several sugar cubes into the steaming cup. She took a sip, found it to her liking, and then let out a deep sigh. She swung her legs over the edge of the couch and hunched over her cup, seeking warmth.

"So what the hell do I call you now?" Michi looked Lawliet in the eye, trying to divine the truth from those grey depths. When she got nothing but a blank stare, she looked into her coffee cup. "Ryuzaki. Denueve. Mr. Coil. L. Lawliet. How many more names do I have to go through before I meet the real you?" She sipped her coffee and held it close to her chest. The cup and its contents were the only things in the room she believed in at that moment. She heard a shuffling and saw Lawliet's feet leave her line of vision. She continued to stare into her cup. _'This is exactly what happens when I begin to trust someone. They remind me that the whole of the human race is untrustworthy.'_ Michi felt something lightly touch her right arm and she looked up. Ryuzaki was holding open her coat for her.

"It's almost 8:15. It will take us at least thirty minutes to get to where we need to be." Michi sighed and put down her coffee cup. As she stood up and turned around, she moved her arms into the sleeves and shrugged on the coat. She felt a pair of hands on her shoulders and she turned to look up at whoever the hell this man was. "Michiko, I know you don't trust me right now. Despite my many aliases, I hope that you still believe that I can and will protect you to the fullest extent." He dropped his hands from her shoulders and pushed his hands into his jeans pockets. He then turned to walk towards the door, since he could not bear to look Michi in the eye. He opened the door and then spoke over his shoulder. "I've hurt too many people in my past. I hope that trend will end with you after this meeting."

As he shuffled out the door, Michi looked to the ceiling and threw a silent prayer to whatever deity watched over her. _'I want to believe him. Just show me that I can finally believe in someone. Even if he has so many masks to hide behind, I just hope I will get to see him for who he really is.'_ She walked towards the door and added one final prayer. _'And I hope he will trust me as well.'_

**Later**

The car ride was awkward and quiet. Michi stared out the window as the cityscape gave way to a forested area, peppered with various houses nestled between the trees. Lawliet sat next to her, crouched in his normal position as he stared forward in silence. Both occupants were trapped in their own thoughts, which similarly revolved around their conversation inside the apartment.

It was the unspoken things that were weighing the heaviest between them. Both Michi and Ryuzaki were concerned about what the future would hold for them. They both wondered about their newly developing feelings they were having for their partner and how it could affect the outcome of the case.

For Michi, she was terrified of falling in love with her boss. For one thing, that meant she had to trust the man, and that was not something that came easily to her. He certainly wasn't making it easier on his part by changing his name every time they met. However, his protective nature was winning her over day by day. Sure, she had been freaked out by the surveillance camera in her phone, but could she really blame him? If he truly was the greatest detective in the world, then he probably had some equally powerful enemies. Needless to say, being paranoid would certainly help keep him protected. Michi also replayed their shared dance in her head. No matter how she sliced it, her heart always fluttered when she remembered looking into his eyes. They had been so chilling, but inviting at the same time. _'Oh Michiko. What have you gotten yourself into?'_ She stared off into the trees, hoping her answer would come soon.

L's train of thought was following closely behind Michi's. He too was thinking of their dance and he marveled at how the human body could pick up on silent cues so easily. He had not danced since he was sixteen, when he was forced to pick it up for an important case. Yet, when Michi danced with him, he didn't have to remember the moves. They just came to him effortlessly. He had even forgotten that they were supposed to be practicing for the upcoming party and had genuinely enjoyed himself. But the second he had looked into those hazel eyes, something inside him had lurched uncomfortably. He couldn't pinpoint it at the time, but after mulling over it at his apartment, he couldn't deny that his protective nature could quickly turn possessive if they continued down that path. _'And I certainly know what my possessiveness has cost me before.'_ Now, more than ever, Lawliet mentally resolved himself to stay true to the laws of logic and reason. Feelings and emotions could only make things worse for him. _'God forbid I would ever have to say goodbye to her. It's best I just stamp out these feelings now. Not that she would ever go that route. She is more honorable than that.' _As he turned to look over at Michi, the car rolled to a stop.

Lawliet quickly opened the door and stepped out. He turned back and reached his hand inside for Michi to take. As she balanced herself and stepped out into the cool air, she looked up at the large mansion in front of her. A couple of kids played in the front yard as the towering home cast its shadow over them. She looked over at the man next to her and saw that his gaze was both wistful and determined. He glanced over at her and nodded towards the path that led through the gate and up to the double doors. They walked past the gate and up the steps, whereby Lawliet rang the doorbell.

"Home sweet home." he said softly as he heard the patter of little feet run to the door. As the door opened, two little blond haired children poked their heads out to peer up at their strange houseguests. The girl to the right had her hair braided in two pigtails while the boy had a shaggy haircut that all but obscured his blue eyes. _'They must be siblings.' _L chuckled as he realized that these two must be new additions to the 'family'. He crouched down to their level and looked the girl in the eyes. "Hello. Do you know where I would be able to find Near? I'm an old friend of his and he told me that this is where I could meet him."

The little boy pushed his sister back into the house and looked L square in the face, "That depends who's askin'." The boy had a clear British accent as he spoke and his sister silently peered out from behind her brother.

"Just tell him that L is here to see him." Both children gaped in both fear and wonder at the man. They quickly opened the door and gestured for both L and Michi to follow them up the stairs. Upon reaching a set of high double doors at the end of a long hallway, the children quietly pointed to the door and scampered off to tell their friends about the legendary man that they had just met. L took a deep breath and knocked twice on the door. Before he could pull his hand back, the door was thrown open and both L and Michi were roughly pulled inside.

Michi stumbled and hit the floor, while L followed suit next to her. As the door was slammed shut, Michi heard the distinctive _click_ of a hammer being pulled back from a gun. _'Oh no! What the hell is going on?'_ Michi moved her head a fraction off of the floor, only to stare down the barrel of a gleaming, silver pistol. She followed the line of the pistol up to the arm, followed the arm to the shoulder, followed the shoulder to the throat, and then looked into the face of its wielder. The man had crazed blue eyes and half of his face looked burnt. The orange hair set off the wild look in his eyes as he sneered at Michi.

"Who the hell are you?" The man said as he tilted his head and pressed the cold gun against Michi's forehead. Before she had a chance to flinch, she heard a loud _THUD._ Suddenly, the orange haired man was on the floor, passed out, with the imprint of a foot underneath his chin. She looked next to her at L, who was now standing and it dawned on her that he had been to one to attack the crazed gunman. _'And those quick reflexes come in handy once again'_ Michi thought as she quickly stood behind L. He looked over at her and quickly assessed her for damage. When she nodded that she was all right, he tilted his head and looked around.

"Well. That went better than expected."

Michi looked around for the source of the voice. Aside from the passed out attacker, she couldn't immediately see another person that could have spoken. She then stood on her tiptoes and looked over L's shoulder. She was shocked to see what looked like a teenager piecing together a puzzle. He was sitting in front of a dark mahogany desk with his legs neatly tucked under him. The floor to ceiling windows let in the sunlight that danced over his white hair and matching white outfit.

_'Wait... white hair? Is that natural?'_ Michi looked to L for an answer, but he was staring at the figure. It was obvious that he knew this individual because his eyes did not register any hint of confusion. Indeed, they almost held a fatherly light for the person in front of them.

"Hello, Near. I suppose a belated Happy Birthday is in order." L spoke softly as he began to walk towards the young man.

"I suppose this is true. Turning eighteen is no different from any other birthday. Though I must say, this is a very interesting turn of events." As they got closer, Michi noticed that the puzzle was completely white, with no variation between the pieces. And yet, this Near person had put them together into some semblance of a picture (or lack thereof).

_'Oh shit. I think I'm the dumbest person in the room right now.'_ Michi then looked over her shoulder at the man that was still unconscious on the floor. _'I take that back: I'm the second dumbest person in this room.'_ Michi looked back and saw that L was crouched in front of Near. She took that as her cue to also take a seat and knelt in front of the young man, with her legs tucked beneath her. Once Near had placed the final puzzle piece in its place he looked up at Michi. His eyes mirrored those of L's. The darkness of them almost fooled Michi into thinking they were black until she saw the light ring of grey around the pupil.

They continued to stare at each other. After a few uncomfortable minutes passed, Near's gaze rested on L. There appeared to be an unspoken dialogue passing between them. This was why Michi hated hanging out with friends of friends. They always had a hidden way of speaking that she never understood. It made her feel very left out. After awhile, Near smiled at L.

"It's very nice to see you again. I was getting pretty tired of picking up the slack that Mello would leave in his wake."

"Yes. He can be pretty impulsive at times. Especially when it comes to meeting new people." Near shrugged at the comment.

"None of us are very well trained in the art of social skills." Here, Near looked at Michi. "As such, I will have to ask for your forgiveness, Nakashima-san. I'm not quite sure how to conduct myself in front of new people. As I'm sure you might have noticed." Michi watched as Near began to twirl a strand of white hair around his finger as he looked at her. He was certainly displaying a normal nervousness tic. Then again, it could have been similar to L's thumb nibbling habit. It could be a way to focus ones mental state. Either way, Michi was endeared by the habit and smiled at Near.

"Please, call me Michiko. If I'm going to be working with you as often as I am with L, we might as well be on first name basis." Near's eyes widened slightly and he tilted his head.

"Michiko, eh? Interesting name. If my memory serves right, that means 'beautiful wise child.'" Near then looked at L. "Though with your surname, I still have no idea where that came from." Michiko looked over at L.

"How do you spell it, exactly?" Once Lawliet had spelled out his name, Michiko closed her eyes and ran through her mental database. She then opened her eyes and glanced between the two men. "Are you particularly religious?"

"By no means. I believe religion is a human invention that is used to bring comfort to someone's life. You will find, statistically speaking, that people turn to religion more often in times of crisis than they turn to logic and reason." L shrugged. "I find no fault in someone wishing to find comfort, but I feel it is unreasonable to blame or pray away your faults when you can simply examine them more closely. Self-reflection is uncomfortable for most people, though. Hence, religion can be used to bring these people some solace."

Michi smiled. "Unfortunately for you, your name has a very religious meaning. If you break up 'Lawliet' into 'Law' and 'Liet', you will find that both names are used in various religious texts. Since the first syllable, 'Law' is pronounced as 'Luo', I will have to take that into account. That particular pronunciation is found in both China and Kenya, but the meaning is the same. In China, it was the surname of a particular warrior family and can be linked to the Diamond Sutra in the Buddhist religion. In Kenya, it is the name of a particular spiritual practice that has no written records, but is passed down through generations. 'Liet' is less common, but it can be traced to some form of religious texts like the Quran, the Bhagavadgītā, or the Bible. In those contexts, and with those pronunciations in mind, both 'Law' and 'Liet' translate loosely to 'the Grace of God'."

L and Near stared at Michi. The fact that she had been able to bring to light the meaning of Lawliet's name with no problem was astonishing to both men. Not to mention that she had done it so seamlessly and with almost no effort on her part.

_'I think L might have finally met his match.'_ Near thought. He looked between L and Michi. They certainly were a good-looking couple to say the least. Both of them appeared to be fighting their feelings, however, and that could make things complicated for all involved. Near cleared his throat to get the conversation back on track.

"So, L. May I ask how I can help?" L stuck the end of his thumb in his mouth before proceeding.

"Yes. I figured Michiko might want to learn the whole truth about the previous Death Note cases. Since I can only fill in up to 2007, I thought you would be the right person to turn to in order to fill in any gaps." Near nodded as L began the sordid tale of Light Yagami and the insanity he had inflicted. When he got to his own 'death', Near was surprised to discover that the successor known as Beyond Birthday had not died in the prison as it had been recorded. Rather, he had taken L's place once Misa Amane had been identified as the second Kira. L had felt that his self preservation was more important than Birthday's, and had struck a deal to give Birthday a job replacing L in exchange for his freedom and 'death' in prison. Little did Birthday know that his freedom would be so short-lived. Sure, he had been able to fool everyone in the Task Force, but at the cost of his own life.

Once L finished with his end of the story, Near filled in the last bits. Michiko was amazed at how intelligent both men were. To have such control over their mental faculties and play off of each other the way they did certainly took a lot of things into consideration. Looking at the age difference, she could also tell that there was a hint of brotherly affection between the two men. After the tale was finished, Michi rocked back on her heels and took a deep breath.

"Well, it certainly explains quite a few things. But there is one bit I don't understand." She pointed behind her. "Who the hell is that guy?"

"Oh. That's Mello." Near stated.

"The one that you were going to sedate?"

"He was sedated. I laced his morning chocolate bar with Luminal. You should meet him when he is his normal self." L quickly shook his head and Near retracted his statement, "Actually, that may not be a good idea. He doesn't get along with women terribly well. He still blames a woman for his scars. Not that she was the one that blew up the building, but that is neither here nor there." Near looked over his shoulder at the afternoon light streaming through the windows. The time had certainly flown by with the retelling of events. He didn't wish to keep L longer than necessary.

"Michiko, if you wouldn't mind leaving the room for a moment. I have something I must discuss with L in private." Michi nodded and stood up. As she walked towards the door, she made sure to step lightly over Mello's unconscious form. Once the door was firmly closed, Near looked at L. "You have read her whole file, I assume."

L nodded. "Yes. I am waiting for her to bring up the information on her own accord. She is not hiding anything that is detrimental to this case, but I must admit I'm surprised that she is not being as forward as I would have thought."

"Everyone has their skeletons, L. You know that better than anyone." Near stood and shuffled to stand behind the desk. As he looked out the window, he could see Michi pushing one of the blond twins on the swing. "I can only hope she brings it up soon."

"She will. I give it a ninety percent chance it will come up within a month." L walked over to stand by Near. As he watched the scene below, he could not help but smile. Michi was clearly laughing and smiling at the children as they fought for her attention. The children at Wammy's house had been in desperate need of a maternal figure for many years. L himself had once wished for the comforting hug of a motherly being when he was young. But now, he was hoping for something more. _'No. Stop it. You know that can't happen. Not with her, at any rate.'_ L sighed and turned to Near. "Thank you, Near. I will make sure I stay in better contact with you." Near nodded and continued to stare out the window.L took that as a cue to take his leave and walked towards the door.

Once the door was shut, Near closed his eyes. He desperately hoped that L would get up the courage to admit his feelings for Michiko. If he could do that, then it would be proof enough to Near that he himself was also capable of such feelings. Near certainly lived vicariously through L, but it was because he had lived in the man's shadow for so long. Because their mental capacities and social skills were on the same level, Near used L as the scientific control by which he could test his own abilities. In simpler terms, if L could do it, so could Near.

_'I just hope it happens soon. For both their sakes.'_

**Meanwhile**

Michiko slid into the back of the car and relaxed. She hadn't realized how tense she had been through the meeting. She leaned back and closed her eyes, waiting for L to get into the car. She slowed down her breath and began releasing tension from her shoulders, her chest, and on down her body until she felt like a puddle of mush.

She heard the door shut and opened her eyes. L sat in his crouched position as he leaned forward and tapped once on the diving glass. As the car began to move, he glanced over at Michiko.

"You look tired." Michiko chuckled at the man's obvious statement.

"Yes, it has been a tiring few days. I hope you don't think it rude if I sleep on the way back." L shook his head.

"Feel free to do whatever you need to. I know the party is tomorrow, so I don't want you under any more stress than you need to be." Michiko nodded and reached into her coat pocket. She pulled out her iPod and scrolled through it. Once she settled on a song she plugged in her headphones and leaned back. However, she couldn't seem to get into a comfortable position. After squirming in her seat for a few minutes, she opened her eyes and sighed.

"I just can't get comfortable. I haven't been much of a car sleeper." As Michi lamented her situation, she suddenly felt L's arm circle around her. He pulled her closer to him and gently pushed her head to rest on his shoulder. She gently smiled and pulled her legs up onto the seat to get more comfortable. Her heartbeat picked up as she breathed in L's familiar scent, but she quickly calmed down and her breathing slowed to a soft rhythm as she fell asleep.

L felt funny as Michi slept on his shoulder. It didn't feel strange to have her there. On the contrary, it felt as natural as breathing to have her so close to him. And that was what disturbed him. What if he got close to her, only to have her ripped away by another man, familial obligations, or worse, death? He sighed and leaned his head back.

_'What am I going to do? Watari, I need some help. Guidance. Anything.'_ On instinct, L looked down at Michiko's iPod. The song she had chosen to fall asleep to was strangely appropriate for L's situation.

_''Never Thought That I Could Love?' Well. If that doesn't spell things out, I don't know what does.'_ L tightened his grip on Michiko and leaned his head on hers. _'Are you as uncertain as I am? Or am I alone in this situation? Even worse, am I finally ready to open up again?'_ L closed his eyes.

If ever he had wished for the grace of whatever god was up there, now was certainly that time.

END Ch. 9

**Okay people! Hope you enjoyed that chapter. Please feed the writer with reviews. I like to make sure people are actually reading this. It keeps me motivated to write more. Love you all! **

**P.S. The next chapter is going to be long, so I warn you, it could be a wait. But I will make it worth your while. ;)**


	10. A Night To Remember

**Title**: All is Forgotten, All is Forgiven

**Author**: kathleenrose747

**Pairing**: L (Lawliet, Ryuzaki, Eraldo Coil, Denueve, Hideki Ryuga)/OC

**Rating: **T-M

**Disclaimer**: I have not, nor will I ever own anything relating to the idea, copyright, persons/characters and creation of Death Note. I also don't own any of the sweets mentioned in here. The only thing I own is Michiko Nakashima, a character of my own creation. I also do not own the song 'Perfect' by Alanis Morissette.

**Authors Note**: I do use some of L's other aliases in the story. If you get confused, go to the Death Note Wiki or just look up L on Wikipedia to get a background on his aliases. I won't go into too much background with those names and their uses. Also, L is 29 years old in this story. So yes, we can consider it AU. **Please review** with constructive criticism. I would also like unadulterated praise, if it is available. :)

Chapter 10: A Night To Remember

The following day was a nightmare for Michiko. She had woken up in L's apartment, only to find that he had gone to the police station. There was a note on the refrigerator saying that she had until 16:00 to get all of her things from her friends' apartment over to his place. He also wrote that she needed to be dressed and ready to leave by 18:00 as the party would begin at 19:30.

_'Great. He doesn't even have the common decency to ask me if I want to move in with him.'_ Michi sighed and rubbed her temples. She knew it was part of the plan, but it still felt strange to her that she had been working with this man for little more than a week and they were already moving in together. She shook off the last of her sleep and turned towards the door. _'I may as well get this over with.'_

To Michi's delight, both Ty and Ana had gone out for the day. She quickly gathered her sparse belongings together from the closet and bathroom. She then wrote a brief note to them, thanking them for their hospitality and stating that she was moving into an apartment within their complex. She promised to call them often and to let them know when they could come over to visit.

With that awkwardness out of the way, Michi began her multiple trips back and forth to move her belongings to L's apartment. It wasn't that she had a lot of items. It was simply that they were all packed in their own separate bags. After five trips and a brief chai latte break, Michi had gotten all of her necessities into her new home. She decided that leaving them in the hall closet was her best bet until other arrangements were made. She didn't want to take up much space. She looked at her watch and saw that it was only 11:00.

_'What the hell am I going to do for seven hours?!' _Michi took a deep breath. _'I may as well just waste some time on the computer and do some small stuff to get ready for the party.'_

After listening to few songs, painting her nails, and doing a sufficiently long yoga routine, Michi got a text from L around 16:00. _This is your two hour warning. L._

_'It's going to take me awhile to get used to seeing the letter L instead of R.'_ Michi shook her head and walked to the closet. She grabbed the box that contained the dress that L had purchased for her along with a pair of strappy, silver stilettos that she had picked up from the costume shop. She then rummaged through her bag for some hair accessories, jewelry, and bathing necessities. After gathering everything along with her makeup box, she walked through the computer room towards the bathroom.

After searching high and low for any cameras, Michi felt safe enough to take off her clothes and hop into the shower. She then washed her hair with a new gingerbread scented shampoo and conditioner and grabbed her loofah to lather up with her rose and honey body wash. As her hands moved over her body, her brain decided to play a horrible trick on her and brought the image of L to her mind. That he was there with her, holding her close to him. Her brain then set her nerves on fire at the thought of him nibbling on her ear, running his nails down her back, hands moving lower...

_'GAH! Nononononono!'_ Michi reached behind her and turn the shower to the 'ice fucking cold' position. She stood there under the freezing water and let the thought slip from her mind and down the drain. _'I can't think like that. I have to stay focused on the mission at hand. I have no time for a relationship. Especially not with him. Hell, what would my mother think?'_ Michi laughed as she thought of how that particular phone conversation would go. _''Hello, mother. Oh, nothing much. Just wanted to tell you I'm considering sleeping with my boss, despite my Southern upbringing.''_ Michi snorted in disbelief at herself. _'You're stronger than that Michiko. No need to give in to baser emotions. You have a job to do.'_

She turned off the water and stepped from the shower into the cold air of the bath room. She toweled herself dry and threw on a robe, on the off chance that L would be there earlier than he claimed. She then plugged in her hair dryer and quickly dried her hair. She figured having her hair straight would seem a lot more dignified than in pin tight curls. After her hair was thoroughly dried and straightened, she pulled all of her hair into a tight side ponytail that fell behind her left shoulder. Once the hair band was secured and she was certain no stray hairs would fall out, Michi then took a few bobby pins and pinned in a cloth rose just behind her left ear. She had chosen a dark red rose in full bloom, because she felt that would be appropriate for any possible tango dancing that could ensue. She moved on to make up and dusted a light pink blush on her cheeks, followed with a light gold over her eyelids. After applying bronze eyeliner, black mascara, and a pale bronze lipstick, Michi stepped back to look at the effect.

She looked like she was going on a date.

Michi sighed and turned towards the dress. _'I really hope he doesn't get the wrong idea.'_

**Meanwhile**

L sat quietly in the back of the car. He had already showered at work and picked up his suit at the store. What he couldn't get out of his head was the thought of Michiko getting ready at his apartment.

_'Yes, I'm aware I'm only human. Still, this isn't normal for me. I could blame this on latent hormones or 'puppy love', but I can't really see it as such. Psychologically speaking, I could be searching for a replacement for the mother I never knew. But I know of no sane person that would want to sleep with their mother.'_ L sighed and closed his eyes. _'Biologically and chemically speaking, these feelings all makes sense. But why now?'_ L's thoughts were cut short as the car rolled to a stop. He opened the door and walked up the stairs towards his apartment. By now, Michi should be dressed and ready to head out. He knocked politely on the front door before poking his head in.

He heard a soft sound coming from the computer room. As he walked towards the room, he realized he was hearing a song. He leaned back against the door to the bathroom and listened to the last refrains of the melody that Michiko was singing to herself.

_Be a good girl  
You've gotta try a little harder  
That simply wasn't good enough  
To make us proud_

I'll live through you  
I'll make you what I never was  
If you're the best, then maybe so am I  
Compared to him compared to her  
I'm doing this for your own damn good  
You'll make up for what I blew  
What's the problem, why are you crying

Be a good boy  
Push a little farther now  
That wasn't fast enough  
To make us happy  
We'll love you just the way you are  
If you're perfect

L was startled by the lyrics. It didn't sound like something Michiko would know. Then he remembered what Near had said at their meeting yesterday.

_"Everyone has their skeletons, L. You know that better than anyone." _

He sighed. What Near had said was true. He knew about skeletons better than anyone. And not just in the forensics sense. He then leaned forward and turned around. As he knocked lightly on the door, he heard a small gasp and a rustling sound before Michiko opened the door and poked her head out.

He had to admit she looked stunning. She had decided to go light on the makeup. If anything, it enhanced her natural beauty even more than normal. However, she looked a little embarrassed at the moment.

"Did I interrupt something?" L asked. Michi smirked at the question.

"I'm sure you heard me. So why don't you answer that question for yourself." L tilted his head and Michi sighed. "Since you're here, I hope you wouldn't mind helping me with something."

"I'll help in any way that I can." As soon as the words slipped out, he immediately regretted it. _'In any way...'_

"I'm not exactly double jointed. Would you mind zipping up the back of the dress for me?" Michi then looked at the floor, clearly wishing she could find a way out of the situation. L nodded and Michi stepped out from behind the door. When she turned around, L had to stop himself from staring and focus on the task at hand. As he focused on the zipper, his gaze slipped to her left shoulder blade. Something was slightly off. L stopped mid-zip and gently moved Michi's hair that covered the tattoo over her left shoulder blade.

Michi inhaled sharply at the feeling of L's cold fingers on her shoulder. _'Shit. I was hoping to keep that covered a little longer.'_ The silence between them asked more than any question could. She sighed and rolled her left shoulder. "It's a reminder of my family." She didn't need to look in the mirror to remind her of what was there: a small, elaborate tree with four stars twinkling above it, representing herself, her father, her mother, and her little sister, Rose. She had been inspired by the image of the White Tree of Gondor to do a similar design on her shoulder.

L finished zipping up Michi's dress and then rested his hands on her shoulders. She shivered as the chill from his hands ran through her body. "I'm sorry. I keep forgetting how cold my hands can be." L stepped back so that Michi could turn around comfortably.

"It's okay. Whenever I encounter someone with cold hands, an old saying from my grandmother always passes through my mind." Michiko then walked over to her chair in front of the computer screens and picked up her calf length black coat. After the coat was securely on her, she turned to see L looking at her with an indeterminable expression on his face.

"So what was it your grandmother used to say to you?" Michi smiled softly before replying.

"Cold hands. Warm heart." Michi then turned and walked out of the room. L leaned against the wall and closed his eyes.

_'Why does she have such faith in me?'_ L stood there a few moments more before following Michiko to the front door.

The two detectives walked side by side out to the street. Neither of them was comfortable with their current situation. But with everything that was riding on this encounter, they had to have their game faces on. L opened the door for Michi and she slid in to sit in the far left seat. She squeezed herself as close to the window as possible so that she did not have to risk physical contact with L. After her shower, she was afraid of any residual tension that a simple touch could set off. _'Aw shit. And we have to dance later.'_ Michiko groaned softly. _'I am so screwed.' _L settled in next to Michi, noting her groan of displeasure. He remembered his earlier musings about whether or not he could be capable of love again.

'_Even if I could, it's clear those feelings would not be reciprocated.' _L leaned forward and knocked on the dividing window. Both detectives then settled in for what would be a very long and awkward car ride.

_**One Hour Later**_

Michiko stared in awe at the architecture of the Saitama Museum of Modern Art. The cube structure looked like it had been created out of multiple squares of various shapes and sizes. Currently, the building was lit from the inside with a soft golden light and she could hear music wafting from the open doors. As the driver made his way to the underground car park, Michi felt L's hand on her shoulder. She turned to see him holding a tiny wire.

"I think it's best if we keep in contact with these earphones. We will not be able to directly communicate with each other, but we can listen in on the other person's conversation and intervene if needed." Michi nodded and tapped her left ear, signaling that that would be the best place to put her earpiece. Since her ponytail fell behind her left shoulder, the hair would cover the tiny wire with no problem. Especially if L knew where to hide the wire.

L hesitated before interpreting Michi's signal to mean that she wanted him to put the wire on her. He slid closer to her, since the darkness of the car park prevented him from seeing her ear unless he was closer. He handed her the earpiece so that she could determine how far in her ear it needed to be. He then looped the clear wire over her ear and slipped the tiny wireless receiver into her hair band, readjusting the rose so that the petals covered a wider range of her ponytail.

Michi kept her shivers to herself as she felt L's fingers dance lightly over the top of her ear, the edge of her neck, and lightly tangle themselves in her hair as he tried to adjust the wireless receiver. _'I'm reading too much into this. I'm reading too much into this.'_ Michi took a deep breath and pushed the images from her earlier shower into the back of her brain. When L withdrew his hands, Michi looked over at him. The two of them were so close; they could see their reflection in the other's eyes. L cleared his throat and reached behind him to open the door. He then slipped out, never once breaking eye contact with Michiko. He then reached in for her hand, helping her out of the car.

The two of them walked up the stairs and out into the cool air. As they moved towards the building, L noticed that they were walking in perfect unison. _'Hm. I may have to shake up the game sooner than I thought.'_ If they seemed too accustomed to each other so soon, people could read between the lines and ask some awkward questions. There was one way around it, but it required Michiko's complete cooperation.

"Before we go inside," L squeezed Michi's elbow, pulling her to a stop behind a cherry blossom tree. "There is one more thing we need to do to complete this facade." He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a small, black velvet covered box.

'_You have got to be fucking kidding me...' _Michiko quickly forgot how to breathe when she saw the small box. _'Great. One more level to this insane charade.'_ L slowly opened the box, revealing an emerald set off by fourteen small diamonds in a flower setting. This setting was held in place by a medium width gold band. Michiko suspected that L had had some help in getting this ring, but she was not going to question it.

"So. We've only known each other a little over a week and you're asking me to be your fake fiancé?"

"If it raises the believability of our fake relationship, than yes. Consider this a fake proposal." Michi could tell that L was trying really hard to keep a straight face by the way he hid his eyes behind his bangs.

"L. Can I ask you something?" He shook his bangs out of his eyes and looked down at her. "Have you ever had inside jokes with people before?"

"None I can remember off the top of my head. I've been told I have a rather morbid sense of humor." L tilted his head to look at Michiko. The moonlight drifted through the branches of the tree to fall on his eyes. If Michiko didn't know any better, she could have sworn she saw a flicker of hope behind them.

'_Yeah, right. As if this guy could ever pull himself out of his ego long enough to love someone else."_ Michi let out a breath that she hadn't realized she had been holding and then offered her left hand to L. L pulled the ring out of the box and held Michiko's hand steady as he slipped the ring onto her left ring finger.

'_Wait... why the hell is this a perfect fit?'_ Before she could ask any questions, L put the box back in his breast pocket and grabbed Michi's hand, pulling her out from the shelter of the tree's shadow. He then placed his arm around her and pulled her close.

"It's show time, Karina." Michiko nodded and slipped into her Russian whore persona.

'_Yes. It is show time.' _As she ran her left thumb over the ring, she wondered who it was she had to convince.

**Sorry this took so long, everyone! Grad school has been kicking my butt. I had this in one very long chapter, but I decided breaking it into two chapters would be better. I have the next three chapters already well planned out so it should not take as long as this one. I'll get the next ones up as soon as I can. Ciao!**


	11. Danger On The Dance Floor

**Title**: All is Forgotten, All is Forgiven

**Author**: kathleenrose747

**Pairing**: L (Lawliet, Ryuzaki, Eraldo Coil, Denueve, Hideki Ryuga)/OC

**Rating: **T-M

**Disclaimer**: I have not, nor will I ever own anything relating to the idea, copyright, persons/characters and creation of Death Note. I also don't own any of the sweets mentioned in here. The only thing I own is Michiko Nakashima, a character of my own creation. I also do not own the song 'Perfect' by Alanis Morissette or 'Un Giorno Per Noi' by Josh Groban. I attribute the translation of the Josh Groban song to Sandy on the boards.

**Authors Note**: I do use some of L's other aliases in the story. If you get confused, go to the Death Note Wiki or just look up L on Wikipedia to get a background on his aliases. I won't go into too much background with those names and their uses. Also, L is 29 years old in this story. So yes, we can consider it AU. **Please review** with constructive criticism. I would also like unadulterated praise, if it is available. :) **ALSO: **Michiko and L are written in their alternate personas. When people go undercover, it is generally a complete transformation and I'm trying to show that.

Ch. 11- Danger on the Dance Floor

Michi and L calmly strolled up to the front, personas firmly in place. When they got to the door, they looked at each other and nodded at the subtle transformation. They were no longer L and Michiko. Karina and Denueve crossed the threshold and walked up to the coat closet to drop off their jackets. They were told that the party was in two adjoining studios that were on the third floor. Karina groaned in displeasure, since she knew she would have to climb three flights of stairs in two inch stilettos. Denueve shook his head at his bride to be as they slowly made their way up to the third floor.

Karina was amused at the party's layout. The lovebirds walked down the hall towards the cluster of voices and music. The two studios were across the hall from one another. The studio on the left held a small table of food and various pieces of artwork. The floor to ceiling windows at the far end of the studio showcased the beautiful front of the building and the rows of trees that were slowly changing colors. Here, people milled around and chatted while looking at obscure pieces of work. Karina couldn't really be bothered to show much interest in art. Her father had taught her at a young age that hard work was worth more than any painting that could be slapped together in couple minutes. She turned around to look into the other room.

The other studio was cleared out with exception to a small D.J. booth. Clearly, this was the area where people would be expected to dance soon. What really caught Karina's breath was that this set of windows was framing the rising moon. It had been said that tonight would be a full moon, so dancing in front of it would certainly be beautiful. She felt a light tap on her shoulder and looked over at Denueve. He tilted his head towards the room with the food and Karina stayed close to his side as they walked in.

They stayed away from the alcoholic beverages and went for very mild sodas, ginger ale for Karina and C.C. Lemon for Denueve. But it was when the two of them turned around to look at the art near the doorway that they felt their hearts stop in unison. On a large piece of canvas, some unknown artist had decided to splatter read paint all over a white front. The red paint helped to accentuate a very large, black letter L in the style of Old English computer font that resided in the center of the canvas.

L's symbol.

Karina took a long gulp of her ginger ale before setting it aside on the table. She looked over at Denueve, who looked as passive as ever. Almost too passive. It looked to Karina as if he was trying to make a point of pushing his reactions back. She sighed and moved towards the painting, feigning interest in the 'modern art'. As she stood in front of it, she could not help but feel a chill go down her spine. And for good reason...

"Ah! Ms. Volkin! I was wondering when you would arrive." Karina turned to look to her left. The old man from a few days ago was grinning at her. Beside him was a young man, most likely his son. The son had on round wire rim glasses, slicked back brown hair, and a generic black suit. It was his height that struck Karina on first glance. While his father was just below eye level of Karina's current height of five feet seven inches, the son towered over Karina. She had to guess he was about six feet tall and change, if she had to guess. _'Adopted? Maybe a recessive gene?'_ Karina shook herself from her reverie and leaned forward to kiss the older gentleman on both cheeks.

"How are you, sir? I really don't think Denueve ever gave me your name." Karina turned up the simple Russian girl persona to full volume.

"Oh that's right!" The man laughed. "Abram Obarin, my child. And this is my oldest son, Ruslan." The son smiled and nodded towards Karina. Abram then leaned close enough to Karina that she could smell the combination of tobacco smoke and heavy cologne. "You know, my son is looking for a pretty Russian girl such as yourself to start a family with. Would you humor him with a date or two? Show him the sights?" Here, Abram made a show of looking Karina up and down, pausing his visual appraisal at the level of her breasts.

"I'm afraid she is already spoken for, Mr. Obarin." Denueve spoke from behind Karina and wrapped his right arm around her waist. He then made a point of grabbing her left hand and bringing it up so that Abram could see the emerald ring on Karina's finger.

"Oh my goodness! Pozdravleniye to you both!" Abram grabbed Denueve and kissed him on both cheeks and then did the same to Karina. "When did this happy incident occur?"

"Shortly after our last meeting. I realized that I couldn't let her get away from me. Thankfully, she only fought my advances for a short while." He then winked at Abram and the two men shared a laugh. Denueve then turned to the picture that Karina had been looking at. "What is the story behind this piece?"

"So far as I know, a former FBI agent turned to painting some of his important cases. I think this one is about someone he once worked with." Abram looked at the small card. "The man's name is Bill Watterson. He calls this piece 'Bloody Anonymity.' I guess the letter is associated with someone he may have worked with." Denueve nodded solemnly. Abram then changed the subject. "So, Karina. Even though you are already spoken for, would you do the honor of being the first woman of the night to dance with my son?" The double entendre was not lost on Karina. Nevertheless, she took it in stride.

"I would be honored, Mr. Obarin." Karina then linked her arm through Ruslan's and allowed him to lead her towards the dance floor in the room across the hall. Their movement seemed to be a cue to the rest of the party guests as they all followed the couple into the dance hall. The party guests formed a large circle around the two dance partners as they set up for their impromptu dance. Ruslan leaned close to Karina's ear and she felt a twinge of fear.

"Are you okay with a waltz? I am afraid that is as far as my repertoire reaches." His smile did not reach his eyes as he held out his hand to her. She let out a breath and nodded as she allowed herself to be pulled into his arms. She quickly noticed that she felt a sharp twinge of guilt as he wrapped his arm around her waist. It almost felt like she was... cheating on someone?

'_What the hell did I tell you about personal feelings? Drop it, Michiko!'_ But the guilt hit her double time when she glanced over at Denueve. His eyes were glazed over as he looked at her. She almost detected a hint of hostility towards Ruslan, but it could not be founded.

Right away, Karina noticed the sounds of the waltz playing over the loudspeaker. _'Oh great. The Emperor Waltz. This is going to be a long seven minutes.'_ Karina had lied when she had told Denueve that she had never danced ballet before. This was one song she knew all too well; as a waltz and as a ballet movement. After she had broken her ankle at the age of thirteen, she took over hip hop and jazz full time. But now was not the time for her to focus on a past that should not exist in this context.

The two strangers twirled around the floor, the woman clearly compensating for her other half's clumsiness. But she made them both shine. It was clear to the guests that she was a gem and secretly wondered among themselves as to the relationship status between the guest of honor and the mystery woman. It was rumored that Ruslan was coming into a lot of money, so this woman would be well taken care of, if she was 'the one'. However, when the song ended, she gracefully curtsied to her partner, accepted a kiss on the hand, and walked over to a tall, dark haired man by the door.

Karina walked into Denueve's arms and leaned in for a hug. The facades dropped for a moment as L whispered in her ear.

"Any information?"

"We never spoke, outside of him asking if I was okay with a waltz. I think he is awkward around women." Michiko turned around in L's arms so that her back leaned against his chest as he rested his head on her right shoulder so that they could communicate better.

"So you never danced ballet, huh?" Michiko could swear she heard a smirk in L's words.

"Only for a few years. Twisted ankles changed my course." Michi perked up when she heard a particular song come on. "You know, I have been meaning to ask about your translation skills. Would you mind translating this one for me?" When silence was the only response, she decided to clarify what she meant. "I just want to know if you are a word for word translator or if you allow for 'artistic license'. This way, I will know how I can best help you with my translation work." Michiko turned her head to look at L. When he saw that she was being sincere, he closed his eyes in order to drown out the guests' voices and only focus on the song in question. Michi faced forward and leaned back so that she could feel L's voice reverberate through his chest as he spoke.

A time for us, someday there'll be  
When chains are torn by courage born of a love that's free  
A time when dreams so long denied can flourish  
As we unveil the love we now must hide  
A time for us, at last to see  
A life worthwhile for you and me  
And with our love, through tears and thorns  
We will endure as we pass surely through every storm  
A time for us, someday there'll be a new world  
A world of shining hope for you and me  
For you and me  
And with our love, through tears and thorns  
We will endure as we pass surely through every storm  
A time for us, someday there'll be a new world  
A world of shining hope for you and me  
A world of shining hope for you and me

'_Sometimes I hate how the universe works.' _Michiko cursed to herself. L had decided to go for a creative license translation, which was far more accurate. 'Un Giorno Per Noi' was a hard song to translate, word for word. Yet, L had had no problem with it and had spun the words into pure poetry.

Michi felt L tense up and realized that they needed to put their game faces back on. Karina and Denueve then joked for a bit about the various styles that the guests wore, danced a few dances (thankfully, no tangos), and mingled among the various guests. When the buildings intercom chimed the twelve hours of midnight, the guests began milling out to the first floor to collect their jackets. As they got ready to leave, Denueve was pulled aside by Abram. Karina pulled on her jacket and pulled a compact mirror out of an inside pocket. As she checked her lipstick, she tilted the mirror to look over her shoulder at the two men. She saw Abram hand Denueve a white envelope and then kissed him on both cheeks before patting him on the shoulder. Denueve then pocketed the envelope in his jacket before turning around. Karina snapped the mirror shut and put it away just as she felt Denueve's right hand slip into her left. As they walked out towards the sidewalk in front of the museum, they kept an eye on the various security details that wandered through the crowd.

Finally, their car pulled up. Denueve opened the door and the couple quickly slid into the backseat. After knocking once on the glass, both detectives let their alternate personas slip away.

Michiko kicked off her heels and rolled her shoulders to work out the kinks in them. As she leaned back, she dared to glance over at L. He was sitting in his standard crouching pose, tie loosened, and top buttons of his shirt unbuttoned. He was nibbling on the end of his thumb, staring off into space. Michiko leaned back and closed her eyes, letting all of the stress drain from her body. She let her mind drift back to when she had leaned against L, listening to his warm voice, letting herself relax further into her meditation.

An hour later, the car rolled to a stop. Michiko reached over to open the door on her side, only to find that it would not open. She turned to look at L. He tilted his head in her direction as he pulled out the letter that had been handed to him earlier.

"I have to go to London." Michi's heart stopped at the proclamation. Her head began to spin and she leaned forward slightly to get her bearings. After a moment, L continued; "I'm going to be gone for almost a month. I'm leaving the apartment in your care while I am away. Don't worry about any bills, they have all been paid in advance. Also, you do not need to go into the office. I alerted the chief to the status of our investigation. All you have to do is send him weekly update reports, of which I will provide information through email." L paused and looked Michiko in the eyes. "Do you have any questions before I go?"

"You're leaving now?" Michi started.

"Yes. I have to go train some new intake students at Whammy House. The Japan facility is only a satellite office. We have one satellite in every major country, but London is our headquarter house." L tilted his head, inviting more questions. But Michiko had none.

"Well, I will try to not be useless on my end. I'll hunt down what info I can and send it to you. Don't worry about replying." Michi forced a smile on her face, grabbed her shoes, and opened the now unlocked door. "One last thing, L," L leaned over to hear Michi's last words "Just send a courtesy text every once in a while to let me know you are alive. Stay safe." As the door closed, L sat back, shocked that someone had expressed concern for his well-being. He sighed and knocked on the window, indicating that he needed to get to the nearest airport.

Michi watched the car drive off until the red lights could no longer be seen. She then turned around and walked up the stairs into the apartment. It felt so cold and empty already. Michi turned on the fireplace and dropped her coat on the couch. She then walked into the kitchen and brewed herself a cup of the peach tea that L had first made for her when she had come over. She dumped a handful of sugar cubes into her mug and pulled her hair out of her ponytail. As she stirred her tea, she walked over to the couch and sat down.

Michi closed her eyes and took a sip of her tea. The taste of peach and rose swirled in her mouth and brought back fresh, day's old memories. Hours at the computer with L. Translating obscure Russian conversations with L. Visiting L's fake grave. Every memory from the past few days were heavily flavored with L's presence. And now that he was not here...

She started as her phone vibrated, alerting her to a text. She pulled it out of her jacket and flipped it open. _I'm safely at the airport. L._ Michi was touched that he had taken a moment to send her that message. Because who knew when his next text would come around.

Michiko wiped the tears that were falling down her cheeks. _'Stop it! You don't miss him. I don't miss him. I don't miss him...' _Michiko kept up the mantra until she fell asleep, fully aware of how lonely she truly felt for the first time in days.


	12. Home is Where the Heart Is

Title: All is Forgotten, All is Forgiven

Author: kathleenrose747

Pairing: L (Lawliet, Ryuzaki, Eraldo Coil, Denueve, Hideki Ryuga)/OC

Rating: M

**Disclaimer**: I have not, nor will I ever own anything relating to the idea, copyright, persons/characters and creation of Death Note. I also don't own any of the sweets mentioned in here. The only things I own are Michiko Nakashima and Melody Chance, characters of my own creation.

**Authors Note**: I do use some of L's other aliases in the story. If you get confused, go to the Death Note Wiki or just look up L on Wikipedia to get a background on his aliases. I won't go into too much background with those names and their uses. Also, L is 29 years old in this story. So yes, we can consider it AU. **Please review with constructive criticism**. I would also like **unadulterated praise**, if it is available. :)

**Chapter 12: Home Is Where the Heart Is**

"Ladies and gentlemen, we will soon be starting our descent into London Heathrow Airport. At this time, we would like to request that you power down all electronic devices and remain in your seats with seat belts firmly fastened."

L finished typing up his final notes and sent them over a low interference wireless connection to Michiko. He then closed his laptop and slid it into the computer case on the seat next to him. Whenever he travelled, he always made sure to buy two seats in order to discourage any unwanted conversations. _'So why do I keep looking over at that seat?'_ L sighed and pushed his glasses up higher on his nose. He was relying on his old 'Italian business associate' persona since he needed to keep a low profile. His Italian was fairly strong and his height and slicked back hair worked in his favor. What he couldn't understand was why most of the women on the plane kept looking over at him.

'_I guess what they say about Italian sex appeal must be true...'_ An unbidden picture of Michiko flashed in his mind as the thought passed. _'Well, yes, I'm aware she is Italian in some regard. But that wasn't what I meant.'_ L looked out the window on his right. The sun was beginning to set over London as the plane spiraled its way to the runway. The oranges, reds, and gold of the sunset swirled together to mimic the colors that L had seen in Michi's eyes just days before...

'_Huh. I suppose I must have gotten used to her company.'_ L looked at his watch as the landing gears touched down on the pavement. _'It's only a supposition, however. I'm seventy percent certain that this is just a passing feeling of loss. I'll get over it soon enough.'_ L had worked with other people in the past and it had been relatively easy to forget them after a time.

Once the seatbelt sign had been deactivated, L picked up his laptop bag and walked to the front of the plane. He had been alerted by Near that there would be a driver at the airport to take him to Wammy's House. When he saw the trademark orange hair, however, he immediately wished he could take a cab. _'Only Mello was available. Here's hoping I survive the drive through London rush hour traffic.'_

"Hey stranger. Your girlfriend not come with you?" Mello grinned as he pushed off the wall he had been leaning on.

"She had work to do at the station. Besides, would it really be in my best interest to be travelling with another person?" Mello shrugged in response and walked alongside L out to the parking lot. L had alerted the keepers at Wammy House that he would be forwarding his luggage ahead of him, so they didn't have to worry about waiting at the luggage carousel. The two walked through the parking lot to a nondescript black mini cooper. Thankfully, the proprietors had had the foresight to tint the windows so L didn't need to worry about being recognized through his disguise.

The ride to Wammy House was dead silent. L was not much of a talker and that sat fine with Mello. But Mello realized something as they pulled up the driveway to the place the two men called home.

"Hey, L. Why didn't you disagree with me when I asked where your girlfriend was? Are you two actually an item?" Mello parked and pulled out a chocolate bar, looking over at L expectantly.

"No. You are well aware that I have no time or place for any romantic interests. Not to mention, I wouldn't want to consider the level of danger that could befall her if we were 'an item', as you put it."

"So you have thought of it!" Mello grinned, as he looked at L. "When's the wedding?"

"Not considering it, M. End of discussion." L opened the car door and stepped out into the Winchester weather. It was uncharacteristically chilly this year, approximately thirty-nine degrees farenheight, but with no snow on the ground as of yet. As L walked through the wrought iron gate, a figure appeared in the opening doorway. L smiled as he saw the caretaker, Roger Ruvie, standing in the doorway. Roger had been around L as often as Watari had been, and L thought kindly of the man. Yes, Roger was known to not be a fan of children, but once those children grew up, he could be considered a good mentor.

"I heard that Near received contact from you recently. I couldn't bring myself to believe it." Roger reached out and shook L's hand. "We have your old room set up for you. Unless you feel you need other accommodations."

"My old room is fine, Roger. Tell me what has been going on in my absence." L walked side by side with the man to the conference room down the hall.

"I'm not sure what you know or don't know, so forgive me if I give you information that you have already been disclosed." L nodded and Roger continued. "About a year after Watari's death, we began looking into other ways that we could assist the underprivileged youth. Naturally, I looked into the patterns of abandoned youth as provided by local hostels, other orphanages and such. An alarming pattern started emerging." Here, Roger took out a ring of keys with which to unlock the conference room door. As he fiddled with the keys, he continued his speech. "Many of the youth either personally reported or it was discovered in their files that they had been abandoned due to possible psychic abilities that caused them to be abandoned or run away." As L digested the information, Roger unlocked the door and let L inside.

"So why are we interested in this?" L crouched in the nearest chair and removed his glasses. He then ran his fingers through his hair so that he didn't have to deal with the slicked back feeling anymore.

"For the past five years, we have been taking in youths with so called 'psychic' abilities and assessing them for emotional disturbances as well as testing their abilities. We have a new wing that houses them so that the other children do not disturb them. They take the same basic courses as the other children before they are branched off into their specialties."

L sighed. _'How times have changed...'_ It wasn't that he didn't believe in the psychical, but he did believe that people put more emphasis in those abilities than good old-fashioned intelligence.

"How can I help?" L knew where this was going, but he had to ask anyways.

"Since one of our criminology teachers is on leave, I wanted to know if you would be willing to fill in until they return at the end of the month."

'_Teaching... this could be a good change for me. Get my mind off of certain aspects of my life.'_ L tilted his head in mock consideration before giving his answer. "So long as it doesn't go over a month. I have to be back in Japan by October 30th."

"Of course. We expect Ms. Chance to return before or on that date."

"Melody is teaching here?" L remembered Melody Chance. She was one of the shy, older girls that had frequented the halls of Wammy House when he was here. Only a couple years older than him, he had felt that there wouldn't be any harm in asking her out for a date when he was fourteen. She had been gracious enough to accept and they had a nice time wandering through Winchester proper. Both knew it wouldn't go anywhere outside that one date, but it had bolstered young L's self-confidence.

"Ah, yes. I forgot you were already acquainted with Ms. Chance. She got her degree in child and young adult psychology at Columbia University. She's been working for us for the past four years. She is a terrific psychoanalyst and the children do love it when she is here." Roger's unstated fact did not go past L.

"In other words, she is a good maternal figure." Roger laughed at L's conclusion. Nothing ever escaped L.

"That too, sir." Roger adjusted his glasses and looked at his watch. "Seeing how late it is, sir, would you like dinner brought up to your room? I am certain you want to get some work done."

"Yes, that sounds like a good idea." L picked up his glasses from the table and walked out the door that Roger held open for him. L then followed Roger to his old room. Plain as it was, it still served its purpose. A window with a window seat was directly across from the door with a blackout curtain tied up to one side. A single rolling chair sat in the middle of the room. To the left was a desk of computers and wall of TV screens. To the right was a hidden door panel that led to the bathroom. L noticed that the room had been soundproofed recently. _'They must have done that shortly after I left.'_

After reassuring Roger that everything was set up properly, L quietly closed the door and picked up the master remote on the desk. He hit one button to activate the TV's and one to boot up the computers. He knew most of his night was going to be spent reprogramming the computers, so he took off his jacket and walked over to the window seat. He kicked off his shoes and pulled his spare jeans and white, long sleeve shirt out of the computer bag he had with him. After changing, he pulled down the blackout curtain and walked to the rolling chair. He sat in his normal crouching position and pulled out his laptop. He plugged that computer into a master cord so that that one laptop would automatically reprogram all of the computers that were plugged into that cord. Less work and less fuss that L had to deal with.

As he flipped through the surveillance videos, L looked down at his laptop bag. There was one small manila folder tucked in one of the internal pockets. L sighed and reached down to pick it up. He knew what it was. He had just been hoping he wouldn't need it. He placed the folder in front of him and debated on whether it was in his best interest to open it. He sighed and caved in.

He flipped open the folder to see bright, hazel eyes stare back at him. Michiko's eyes. He had taken her police record folder along with him for the trip. He still couldn't fathom what part of him had wanted to take it, but seeing her there was reassuring to him. He took the picture out and leaned it against one of the monitors in front of him. He knew that there was a button he could push to bring up his apartment on the TV's, but he didn't want to intrude on her privacy.

'_What is happening to me? I've never cared about someone's privacy before. Nor have I missed anyone to this extent before.'_ L glanced down at Michiko's picture. _'Is missing someone the first step? Or would caring for their safety come first?'_ For the first time in a long time, L buried his face in his hands, trying desperately to keep unwanted thoughts and feelings at bay.

'_I can't do this again. I can't risk falling apart. I don't miss her... I don't miss her...'_


End file.
